Beyond the Pale

Does God Really Hate You?

2012-01-30T20:39:00.000+08:00

A friend of mine shared a clip of Pastor Mark Driscoll on Facebook...and Mark was pretty angry. For those who are not aware, Mark Driscoll is the pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle with a congregation of about 10,000 as well as overseeing a network of other churches.

I've included the clip here below but it will shock many to find that:

"Some of you, God Hates you...some of you, God is sick of you, God is frustrated with you, God is wearied by you, God has suffered long enough with you...."

I could go on...but I think you get the picture. Poor Mark...unlike my friend who shared the clip and was pretty straight forward in his disgust, I felt a measure of pity for Mark. I know what its like to pastor, that is to shepherd a group of people toward God and at times...well, it can get a little frustrating. Sometimes the anger we can feel dealing with the shortcomings of people day in and day out can get you pretty agitated and if we're not careful we can transfer our anger and use God as our proxy to help legitimize those feelings. Then its not me who hates and is frustrated with you (which can be more easily dismissed)...

...its God who can't stand you! (The clip gets to the point at 4:35)

I couldn't help but think of Moses out in the desert leading the people of Israel into the Promised Land.

Those people were a handful to say the least but God declared them to be His children and He loved them. One day they were out of water and they gave Moses an earful. Numbers 20:2-13 says:

Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. ³ They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! ⁴ Why did you bring the LORD’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? ⁵ Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”
⁶ Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. ⁷ The LORD said to Moses, ⁸ “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”
⁹ So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him. ¹⁰ He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” ¹¹ Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
¹² But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”
¹³ These were the waters of Meribah,^[a] where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD and where he was proved holy among them.

Moses was angry at the people and felt they deserved God's wrath...not his blessing. So Moses strikes the rock in anger rather than speak to it as commanded. The people, who really do deserve God's wrath, instead experience the provision of water (and Grace) from a loving Father...and the only one who is judged is Moses.

Mark Driscoll needs to tread more carefully. He has been put in a position to influence tens of thousands with the Grace of God and probably needs to be more mindful of the message he is communicating.

Lan Kwai Fong Movieland Shuts Its Doors

2012-01-27T22:48:00.000+08:00

My old video store here in Hong Kong just closed and I'm feeling a little nostalgic. Throughout the late 1990's the Movieland video store in Lan Kwai Fong was like my second home. Walking into that store I was like Norm walking into Cheers...everyone knew my name!

For those outside the territory, Lan Kwai Fong is perhaps the most infamous nightclub/ restaurant/ bar district in Hong Kong!

So of course that's where we planted a church.

After an evening meeting, or just a night out for dinner and drinks, I'd stop off at Movieland to get my film for the night.

When I moved back to Hong Kong in 2009 I was surprised to see my old stomping ground was still open. I went up to see the old place and re-introduce myself. Turns out Elmer, the old manager I knew so well, had only recently returned home to the Philippines. Obviously the video store landscape has changed radically in the 10 years since I used to frequent the store and he probably felt it was time to wrap it up.

I mean who rents DVDs anymore??

The current manger was very kind and filled me in on what was happening admitting that business was slowing and they had consolidated the store from 2 floors to 1.

It was really kinda sad in a way. This store used to be jam packed every night with area folk getting their evening fix of movies and TV shows. It was a hub where you were always sure to run into a familiar face. When I had left back in 1999 the store was just beginning the transition from VHS to DVD. Now DVD was starting to feel like cassette tapes and the store, once the center of the action, now seemed like a party 30 minutes after all the cool people had left.

Well, tonight I was out for dinner in Lan Kwai Fong with friends and noticed the store was closed, empty, and dark but the sign was still hanging outside. The end had finally come. I snapped a few pictures to remember it from happier times!

TV You Should Watch: The Event

2012-01-25T08:32:00.001+08:00

The Chinese New Year holiday is in full swing here in Hong Kong and its a time that usually lends itself to getting outside and onto the gorgeous hiking trails which permeate the territory. However the weather has been cold, rainy, and down right terrible...so what to do?

Perfect weather though for sitting inside, stocking up with plenty of "comfort" food favorites, finding a new TV show with an arching story line,... and watching the hours fly by.

Our "on demand" station here in Hong Kong is offering a show I was aware of called The Event. It looked like one of those alien invasion type shows but I was skeptical as it seemed the show was cancelled after a single season. (Which more often suggests it was really good!)

But did I really want to invest the emotional time into a story and characters that were not sticking around?

Well, lets just watch one we said, and see...

22 episodes later we were spent! I can say its unfortunate that smart, intelligent written shows get cancelled while so many others (reality shows anyone?) are in their 4th, 5th, or 10th seasons?

Tammy kept us fed throughout the marathon making her version of "Chipoltle burritos". At one point I felt so guilty about eating and sitting that I went down to our apartment lobby and ran back up the stairs to our flat on the 21st floor. (Then after the next episode I did it again.)

So what is the show about? I am not going to write a big deal on that other than to say if The X-Files, V, and , 24 were to have a baby together...it would be The Event.

What I can say was it was comforting to see a new spin on the "space alien" and their intentions on Earth. Traditionally the extraterrestrial coming to our little planet are evil, who see humans as no more than an infestation to be eliminated i.e. Independence Day, or as the benevolent messiah like character that is persecuted by our human insecurities i.e. ET .

The Event instead presents its aliens...as us. The show is partially an analogy of Western Imperialism. What if aliens valued us...but not as much as themselves? And when their interests are jeopardized, how they will make decisions at times which are contrary to their values and mores? It makes for interesting storytelling to see "good" people making "wrong" decisions.

I was happy that the season ended with a measure of "closure" although they opened up a great new story line for a season 2 that, unfortunately, will never be.

But it gets the "Steve's TV Shows You Should Be Watching" award so if you get a chance, give it a look.

Thank you for (not) Smoking!

2012-01-23T06:50:00.000+08:00

It's been 5 years this month since I smoked a cigar.

Now let me just say...I loved cigars alot! Whether with friends in Hong Kong or sitting on my back porch in Boulder Colorado with a view of the Rocky Mountains there were few things more relaxing to me or that I enjoyed more.

So why did I give them up?...Well 5 years ago this month I was also diagnosed with tongue cancer.

It started when I had developed a small, very painful sore on the side of my tongue. I thought it was just a mouth sore that you get from time to time...but this one didn't go away. I convinced myself it was a tooth cutting my tongue and went to see a dentist. He took one look at it and sent me to an oral surgeon that day.

I still wasn't worried!

The oral surgeon took a biopsy and then a few days later called and asked me to come in for a consultation. When I asked if they could just give me the diagnosis over the phone the nurse responded, "No Mr. Hackman, the doctor needs to see you."

I froze...my heart pounded! I didn't tell Tammy yet and just headed off to the doctor. When I arrived the doctor stated, "Mr. Hackman, the biopsy confirmed the sore is cancerous."

He had said it. The "C" word! My face began heating up and I was barely taking in what the doctor said after that. I had been aware of a couple aqauintances who died of tongue cancer. I started thinking if something happened to me, what would happen to Tammy and Gabriel??

What began then was a 3 month journey of tests (and prayer), surgery (and prayer), and recovery (and prayer). The details are perhaps best left for another time (It was quite a ride). But I stand here 5 years out from that diagnosis and am now "clear" in medical terms.

God is so very faithful and took mine and my families hand throughout this entire ordeal.

But I can say that 2 days before the diagnosis on a crisp Colorado January afternoon I was standing on my front porch with a cigar in my hand not realizing then it was the last cigar I would ever smoke. I love my cigars...but I realized I love my tongue even more!

Walking Across England: Our Upcoming Adventure!

2012-01-20T12:50:00.000+08:00

This summer my son Gabriel and I will walk across England.

Literally!

On the morning of July 6 we will set off from the village of St. Bees on the coast of the Irish Sea and then head east. God willing on July 19 our 200 mile journey will end when we dip our boots in the cool waters of Robin Hood's Bay on the North Sea coast.

I must admit I'm pretty excited as I've been planning this trip since before Gabriel was born. Back in about 1993 or 94 the travel section of the local Hong Kong paper did a feature story on the Wainwright Coast to Coast walk. I found the concept of walking across the country compelling and turned to Tammy and declared, "One day when we have a son I'm going to take him on this walk when he turns 13 years old."

Well, about 4 years later I did have that son and now, nearly 18 years later, I have just purchased air tickets and paid the confirmation deposit to the company that arranges the details.

This is going to be a father - son coming of age "rite of passage". Just the two of us crossing hills and valleys while discussing God, school, life, work, childhood, adulthood, and why there is a difference between being a Man and simply being a male.

...oh, and did I forget to mention the pubs.

Yes!! We're going!...the only spanner in the original plan is Gabriel is 14 now, not 13. Last summer we had just had Gabriel's little brother Ethan and so thought it better to delay this grand excursion for a year.

Anyhow, I'll be posting more info as we get closer to our departure as well as a day by day narrative of the actual adventure once it begins.

Of course, now I have 2 sons...so I may have to do this again in 13 years!

Mainland China Students Irk Some At American Universities

2012-01-13T15:29:00.000+08:00

A recent blog article I read grabbed my attention today. It highlighted the complaints many local American students have with foreign Chinese undergraduates* studying at U.S. universities. Complaints such as:

"They don't come here to learn. They just come here for the grades."
"They are killing class discussion. They never contribute."
"You will never see any of them at any school function. Never ever ever. Unless it can help them with a grade."
"They never make any effort to talk with anyone other than those who are also from China."
"They cheat all the time. It is pretty unbelievable how often"
"This is a great way to ruin relations between China and us."

* The article noted these were complaints concerning students from Mainland China and not ethnic Chinese from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, or Singapore.

I was intrigued and immediately asked some of my Hong Kong Chinese peers about their thoughts on this. One responded to me that the reason is that maybe ten years ago very few students from China went to the States for study and those that did were the best and brightest. He mentioned there was often great sacrifice incurred for it to happen and the students made the most of their opportunities.

"Now", he explained, "there is so much 'new money' in China that all these corrupt businessmen and officials are sending their spoiled brat kids to the States not because they are the best educated, but because they can afford the big dollars."

Essentially he was saying was that the best and the brightest are being replaced with a "less than stellar" representation of China.

That's a lot to digest but consider the following statistics:

Number of Chinese undergraduate students at American universities

2006 - 2007 academic year - 9,955 students
2011 - 2012 academic year- 56,976 students

Such an explosion of population lends credence to the notion that less strict criterea is being used. In fact, an MSNBC article noted 90 % of Mainland students submitted false recommendation letters on their college applications and 70% of them had a professional write their entrance exam.

Worrying to say the least!
I can say my own experience with Mainland Chinese students in America has been limited but very positive.

In 2006 my family and I attended the "Mid-Autumn" Festival celebration at the University of Colorado hosted by the Chinese students association. Tammy and I were missing Hong Kong and thought we would take advantage of a little piece of it on display 10 minutes from our Boulder home. When the students found out our connection with China and the fact that Gabriel was born in Hong Kong they really went to great lengths to make us feel welcome and at home. They were a wonderful group of young people who were a very positive representation of China.

Of course that was 2006...I wonder if it has changed any?

Iowa Caucus results: My thoughts

2012-01-05T10:05:00.000+08:00

I popped over to The Whiskey Priest (you gotta love that name) yesterday afternoon to meet up with the "Republicans Abroad" and watch the results of the Iowa caucus live. (Late evening in America is lunch time here in Hong Kong)

Before the caucus began I made the prediction:

1) Romney
2) Paul
3) Santorum
4) Gingrich
5) Perry

And I was pretty close with only Santorum and Paul's places switched by 3% points. (I also called that Perry would drop out, which by retreating to Texas he pretty much did)

There were about 30-40 guys at this lunch and we took an informal poll of who was supporting who. Almost everyone raised their hands for Romney. There were a couple guys for Gingrich and but none of the other candidates had any supporters among the Hong Kong Republicans.

There seems to be a consensus that people living overseas have a wider perspective and are less parochial on many issues. Romney's fiscal and personal discipline appeal to a number of us. He's viewed as solid as opposed to "flaky." And more importantly, he is seen as someone who can appeal across a broader audience of voters in a general election. Essentially, he is the best chance of beating Obama.

So, why am I not supporting the other remaining candidates:

Santorum: I think this Santorum is a genuinely nice guy who projects an authenticity that is appealing. Having said that, I don't think "he is ready for prime time." He is to undisciplined in his campaigning and he comes with baggage of a major senate loss in 2006 as well the feeling he is the last choice of a number of failed "conservative" options in this election.

Gingrich: He's an ideas man and sometimes he gets things right, but really doesn't know how to behave in critical situations. He will always "go off the rails" at some point as that is who he is and what is in his nature to do. Most people realized this as well and after a momentary surge in the polls, he finds his support base vanishing.

Paul: Ron Paul has some interesting domestic spending ideas but its his foreign policy that will keep him from EVER being President of the United States. We have spent the last 70 years building relationships that allow the projection of American power across the globe. He'd like to call that quits, bring home our carrier fleets, our troops in Japan and South Korea, and just hunker down around the homeland. Yes, with the tension in the South China Sea rising NOW would be a perfect time to mothball the navy...Not!

One of the Gingrich supporters at the Whiskey Priest (can you tell I just love mentioning that name again) yesterday did indicate his support for Gingrich stemmed from his inability to back Romney because of his Mormon faith. I must admit I had read about such people...but I had never actually met one before.

See, Hong Kong is a place where one meets all kinds of different folk.

My Year End Book Reviews 2011

2011-12-31T08:35:00.001+08:00

On December 30 with one day to spare I met my goal of finishing Susanna Clark's novel Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell before the end of 2011. It is a huge tome of a novel so I was pushing to finish it so I could start 2012 with a fresh new book...yet to be determined.

But with 2011 bidding us a fond farewell I thought I would do a quick review of some of my favorite books of the year.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell : What happens when you blend a Jane Austen or Charles Dickens novel with Harry Potter? The alternative history novel follows two very distinct magicians as they attempt to reintroduce magic into a Victorian England setting. There were moments when the book gets a little slow but just when it starts to drag the book suddenly jumps to some of the best storytelling I've read in a while. Whether using their magic to battle Napoleon Bonaparte or magical fairies Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell will leave you hoping for a sequel.

On China: Henry Kissinger gives us his perspective on over 40 years of his first hand experience with the Middle Kingdom. Kissinger's narrative has a nice flow and he gives great insights on how and why the Chinese see the world the way they do. As someone who has himself had personal dealings in China for over 20 years I would heartily recommend this book to anyone with an interest in China.

Under the Dome: Probably the best Stephen King book since The Stand. (Not that I've read every book since The Stand :) A mysterious dome appears over a small town and nothing can get in...or out! Bad people become worse and the good...well, they are tested. I always find King having a real strong insight into the human condition and this novel examines how people react when normal social inhibitors are removed.

Stories I Only Tell My Friends: Rob Lowe's memoir was a lot of fun to read. He has had an incredible film career and seems to have a Forrest Gumpesque ability to have been at some of the most interesting moments in recent history or having met with some of the most interesting people. Read my complete review here:

A Prisoner of Birth: Jefferey Archer is a master storyteller. In fact I think he went to jail at one point...for telling stories. But this novel, which is a modern update of The Count of Monte Cristo, was a good fast paced read. Not Archer's best book (for that you need to read Kane & Abel) but worth the time and effort.

Bossypants: Tina Fey rocks! This book was laugh out loud funny and was way to short. I was literally on a long bus ride in Greece and, being a little bored, used my Kindle to download Bossypants right from my seat. I was embarrassing myself and causing heads to turn bursting out in laughter as I read it all somewhere between Athens and Corinth.

Game Change: As a political junkie the idea of literally being a fly on the wall inside the campaigns of the 2008 presidential nominees was most appealing. Obama, Hillary Clinton, McCain, Edwards, and Palin are all examined with some coming out looking better than others. I could hardly put the book down and must admit to the attraction of feeling like you are included in the "inner circle" of presidential politics. The movie version is coming out and its incredible how much Julianne Moore is able to "channel" Sarah Palin.

Anyhow, Have a Happy 2012 and find a good book to read!

Cocktail Reception On Board the U.S.S. Carl Vinson

2011-12-29T08:45:00.002+08:00

Tammy and I had the most wonderful evening this week as we attended a cocktail reception on board the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Carl Vinson which is in Hong Kong for a few days. If you are follower of Beyond the Pale than you may remember that this is the second visit by the Carl Vinson to the territory this year. In that blog post I chronicled my friend Francis' invitation to the opening night reception and my subsequent (minor) jealousy surrounding that invitation.

I mean, I want to hang out on an American aircraft carrier walking past rows of F-18 Hornets with a drink in one hand and my beautiful wife on the other... but how.

These receptions are public relations events and in this case it means hosting U.S. Consulate workers, American businessmen, Hong Kong local vendors, visiting military guests of the People's Republic of China etc. I don't really qualify under any of those categories per se.

The food was fantastic!

But...as God would have it, He saw fit to fulfill certain desires of the heart so to speak. And just how did God fulfill this little heart desire of mine you ask? Well, I got to know a friend here in Hong Kong who has a little say over who gets invited and lo and behold, I received an invitation a couple weeks ago.

So on Tuesday evening Tammy and I headed down to Fenwick pier on Hong Kong Island where the "water taxis" waited to cart us out to the carrier. The U.S.S. Carl Vinson is really big and as we approached, the serial number "70" was lit up as a beacon cutting through the nighttime sky.

Guests rode the elevator up to the deck

The reception itself is held in the giant hanger bay and the U.S. Navy knows how to do food. People think the huge American defense budget is all bullets and missiles but they forget the shrimp tables and roast beef carving stations. But what I really had my heart set on was the chocolate chip cookies. Yes, you heard me right...

...the chocolate chip cookies. My friend Francis who attended the last reception said, "Seriously though, nobody has better chocolate chip cookies than the U.S. Navy." And you know, he was right! (I had 3)
Besides that high end shrimp and roast beef, it was also nice to have some good old American spicy jalapeno poppers. Darn they were good and when Tammy wasn't looking I snuck another one!

Reception entrance

One of the highlights of the evening was everyone heading out onto one of the aircraft elevators for a trip up to the flight deck. Yes, I got to fulfill my dream of having a glass of wine in one hand and my beautiful wife on my arm as we walked past rows of fighter planes. My childhood always comes back in these moments as most American boys my age wanted to be a fighter pilot at some point as a kid.

Its also fun for us Americans living overseas to have a little "home" turf arrive for a few days. Chatting with some of the officers is very lively and sometimes, although I usually love the diversity of Hong Kong, its just fun to talk in "Americanese" about America with other Americans

The evening ended and we headed back out to the ferries that would shuttle us back to the dock but not before we picked up a U.S.S. Carl Vinson T-shirt for Gabriel and a ship photo for my office.

Your mission should you choose to accept it...

I have to end with a special thank you to our friend Christine and her daughter Claire who kindly watched Ethan George for the evening. This was our first night "out" with a babysitter and knowing he was in such good care allowed us a relaxing evening.

Special thanks to the officers and crew of the U.S.S. Carl Vinson! Thanks for the work you do and for such a wonderful evening!

Another year of "The War on Christmas" is over...Thankfully!

2011-12-27T07:21:00.004+08:00

I may be dating myself but I'm old enough to remember when saying "Merry Christmas" wasn't considered a pejorative term. And to wish someone"Happy Holidays" was not seen as "selling out" or diluting Christmas in any way but was simply the catch all phrase that encompassed the season from Thanksgiving to New Years Day.

But now America seems to be involved another war. This is a war that has been raging for decades with major battles being played out every November and December. On one side is the traditionalist who, in a world gone mad, desperately want to keep the CHRIST in Christmas! And on the other side are all the others who want to diversify things a bit and who, lets be honest, probably have a little to much time on their hands.

Yes, it is the yearly fights involving the "War on Christmas."

Although for the most part I find the "War"... comical, I must admit chafing a little when I would hear some major store chain banning their employees from saying, Merry Christmas. I can at least understand the argument about having a nativity scene displayed on a public ground (even if I don't agree with it.) But banning someone's speech involving a holiday greeting...mmmm, that just gets under my skin!

From 2005 till 2008 I worked at Barnes & Noble and fortunately they had no policy on the matter so typically I would wish customers a Merry Christmas. It was there that I realized that this "War" is indeed played out mostly by people with too much time on their hands as I literally wished thousands of customers "Merry Christmas" over my 3 Christmas tenure there and I had, maybe, two minor incidents where people said they didn't appreciate that. Now understand this wasn't at a Barnes & Noble tucked away all snug in the Bible Belt, no, this was Boulder, Colorado. Yes, the Boulder Colorado that didn't vote for Al Gore in 2000 because he was to conservative and where Buddhism is the religion de jour. If they weren't offended, well, it made me wonder how much "War" there really was.

I did always wonder though why there weren't more nativity scenes in major department stores?? I mean, if you are an executive for Target or Wal-Mart, you must be thanking God every fiscal sales year that a little Jewish boy was born in a Middle Eastern farm stable 2000 years ago. Come to think of it, instead of a War on Christmas in the retail sector, there should probably be big "Thank You Jesus" signs at every chain department store across America .

That reminds me again of my Barnes & Noble days. I would often have a customer look at the December bedlam in the store and comment, "Wow, it's really busy in here."
"Yeah," I would reply, "well, you know...its Kwanzaa...happens every year."
The customer would smile awkwardly as they processed that little nugget...and then move on.

But I live in Hong Kong again! I am safe from the battles! There is no "War on Christmas" over here...just Christmas. The city is decked out with Christmas trees & lights. Some buildings say "Merry Christmas" and others say, "Season's Greetings" with no venom or ill intention found in either one. The malls are filled with school choirs singing both Santa Claus is coming to Town AND Away in the Manger!

It's much more peaceful and probably a little more what Jesus had in mind!

In Memorium: Christopher Hitchens 1949 - 2011

2011-12-21T11:20:00.006+08:00

Blogging has been tough the last couple weeks as the Christmas holiday means a lot of extra work for me. No..no...despite what you may have heard I am not, in fact, Santa Claus.

But the passing of Christopher Hitchens of esophageal cancer this week has lit a fire under me so to speak as I will most certainly miss his wit, his humor, and yes, his damn near mastery of the English language.

But wait Steve you ask, "how can you be a fan of such a vocal Atheist?"

Let me put it this way...other prominent (and vocal) atheists, namely Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins, I find to be rather shrill and boring. Hitchens was certainly not shrill, and he was never boring. (Ok, admitedly he could be boorish at times...but that was the Scotch :)

I can easily imagine Harris & Dawkins passing away one day and rocking up to the Pearly Gates only to be overcome with distress at the Kingdom of Heaven's mere existence. Not unlike the Dwarves in C.S. Lewis's The Last Battle who still refuse to believe in Aslan even when it is no longer an issue of faith.

By contrast one can imagine Hitchens seeing Heaven's gate and smiling with a bit of a wink, "Oh, Good Lord, my brother was right on that one now wasn't he...oh well, right then... um Lord, no hard feelings eh? The bar's still open you say?...Good, can one of the angel's bring me a Scotch...I rather think I'll be needing one right about now..."

I've been following Hitchens for years. Did I always agree with him? Certainly not (he was in favor of abolishing the British Monarchy after all which many of you know would NOT be my position.)

..but I did appreciate his well thought out and articulated views. He forced me to examine my own beliefs in a number of areas...(Thankfully, I still happened to be right in all my positions... but he forced me to examine them just the same :)

I also appreciated Hitchens in that you could never put him in a "neat" box. Nearly everyone I know, if you tell me some viewpoint they have, I will be able to guess with almost near certainty their view on many other areas.

Not so with Christopher Hitchens. Its one thing to despise Henry Kissinger...anyone can do that. But to despise Henry Kissinger and Mother Teresa equally...now that...that..takes chutzpah! One moment he is denouncing God and organized religion and in the same debate is praising George W. Bush for his pre-emptive invasion of Iraq. Anyone who can single handly tick off Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, AND Conservatives in the same debate...well...is always going to get a bit of applause and a "Good show ol' boy" from me.

Yes, Christopher, you will be missed. I do hope you are in heaven as I for one, look forward to sharing an evening with you of stout lager, cigars, and good conversation.

7 Life Lessons from Star Trek

2011-12-06T16:36:00.009+08:00

I'm a bit of a Star Trek fan. But I have it under control now...honest!

Yes, I admit when I was young I would use my lego set to create an arsenal of phasers neatly arranged on my window shelf...set for stun of course! And yes, my friends and I would practice the Vulcan Neck Pinch on each other because, after all, it hurt pretty good and maybe, just maybe, we could get it to work after all; then we'd be famous. And of course I could discuss the reasons why a 1 to 1 ratio, dilinthium focused matter / anti-matter annihilation was necessary for optimal warp field entry with the best of them. (How else were we ever going to coax our engines past Warp 4???)

Some things you grow out of...some you don't.

So when I saw David Borgenicht's article in the Huffington post "7 Life Lessons I learned from Star Trek" I realized he was on to something. So with proper citation to Mr. Borgenicht, I'd like to reprint those seven lessons at Beyond the Pale because...well...I pretty much agree with everyone of them*.

1.The best way to travel is to boldly go where no one has gone before. This is true for vacations, for self-exploration, for life itself. If you want your days filled with adventure, laughter, love, learning and the occasional mind-meld, follow this route.

2.The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few--or the one. Sometimes you must make great sacrifices for the greater good. And, like the Genesis device, it will all come back around.

3.Expressing your emotions is a healthy thing. Sure, McCoy seemed angry all the time when exclaiming, "Dammit, Jim! I'm a doctor not a mechanic/bricklayer/soothsayer," but he knew that by expressing his anger and frustration it wouldn't get the best of him and he could then perform at his peak capacity.

4.When estimating how long a job will take, overestimate--and when you do better your captain will always be impressed. Replace the word "captain" with "teacher" or "mom/dad" and you'll see what I mean. Sure, Mr. Scott might have been telling the truth--maybe it would take six hours to get the warp engines back online in the heat of the battle. Or maybe he was padding things so he looked good. Either way, when the engines did come back on line, everyone was happy.

5.Wearing red makes you a target. This is true of cars, dresses and, most especially, shirts. Red gets you noticed--which is good if you want to be noticed, bad if you don't want to end up vaporized.

6.When you don't know what to say, pause. It will give you the time to figure it out. Or at the very least, you'll sound like you're being thoughtful. "But....Spock.....why?"

7.The most powerful force in the universe is friendship. It's more powerful than phasers, photon torpedos, even more powerful than the force itself. With friends, you can accomplish any task, escape any perilous situation, defeat any enemy--and you get to laugh together when it's all over.*

* Actually (Steve here again) I'm still going to give "the most powerful force in the Universe" to God...but friendship is a nice runner up :)

Superman & Apollo 13

2011-12-04T16:42:00.004+08:00

Items from two of my favorite interests, Superman and the American space program, netted big bucks at auctions this week.

The very first comic introducing Superman to the world, Action Comics Issue 1, sold for US$ 2.1 million . Incidently, the the pristine copy of the comic from June 1938 was owned by actor Nicholas Cage who is known for being a big Superman fan. Cage had bought the comic in 1997 for US$ 150,000. so it appears the 2 million + sale of the issue made Mr. Cage more than a few pesos . For me though its hard to imagine paying 2 million dollars for something that says "10 cents" on the cover!

The other item, handwritten notes written by astronaut Jim Lovell during the ill fated moon expedition, Apollo 13, sold for a more modest US$ 388,375. The now 83 year old Lovell said that the notes are the mathematical computations he did by hand in order to compute their emergency trip back to earth after the explosion on their spacecraft threw them off course.

Says Lovell, "We didn't have the technology back then that we have now. I didn't even have a calculator to do the arithmetic. I had to ask the people in Houston to double-check my numbers."

As much as I love Superman I must admit if I could have either of the items, the handwritten notes by Lovell would be my choice. What those guys did 40 years ago was absolutely heroic and the kind of story we should be passing on to our children and our grandchildren. A story of what men can do when they need to do the impossible...and did!

Of course there was a lot of prayer involved too :)

China News Still Not "Newsworthy" in America

2011-12-02T06:22:00.005+08:00

Obama greets troops in Australia

Living in Hong Kong I am sometimes amazed by what International news is important in this region versus what is deemed front page news in America. Being a bit of a "news junkie" I follow both region's news cycles fairly in depth...and they just don't match.

Case in point:

Last week I was chatting with a couple old friends from high school via Skype. All though we are all Republicans my politics have vented back toward the center a bit in recent years causing some enjoyable and "lively" discussions. In fact one of my friends is not so much "Republican" as he is "Ayn Rand"...hence the lively discussions.

Anyhow, I asked them what they thought of Obama's move to station 2500 marines in a new upgraded base in Darwin, a city on the north coast of Australia. Truth be told, I've known this group of friends for 30 years and we have a fun (my wife calls it mean :) way of "baiting" each other to provoke a response. I was being a little cheeky I admit. Obama energizing America's military might in the region I knew would appeal to their Republican blood. It would be a "good thing". But I also knew that their politics didn't allow for Obama doing a "good thing". This could be fun...

It was not unlike the strategy used by Captain Kirk from Star Trek. When ever he had to get by the "super computer / killer robot" he would feed it a question that would put it into a an endless logic loop. Kirk would then sit back as it rattled the question around a bit and then finally popped a circuit allowing him to get free and save the girl. So I thought I'll feed them a "good thing done by Obama", watch them try to process it through their "Obama can do no good" programming, then sit back and wait for a circuit to blow.

Understand it's not that I've become a fan of Obama (I'm not) so much as I absolutely love arguing with my friends.

My strategy didn't work though...but not for the reason's I would have guessed. "Steve," said one of them, "we've heard nothing about this." I was frankly...shocked!

Understand, the papers in Hong Kong and in the Pacific region have been almost daily running stories and editorials either celebrating or deriding America's increased engagement in the area. It is possibly the most important ongoing news story this side of the Pacific. Not only the deployment of marines to north Australia but Obama's raising of the issue of Maritime claims in the South China Sea at the recent APEC summit in Hawaii against China's objections.

Most analysts have said it has been a diplomatic win for Obama and a setback for China yet for some reason the news cycles in America were not jumping on it. I suppose Kim Kardashian divorcing her husband after a few hours of marriage might have something to do with it but come on? My friends are well read and well informed individuals. I thought they would be bringing this topic up to me?

It has just demonstrated to me though that although this region has built the China - United States dynamic into the major geopolitical balance of power issue de jour, China and the Asia Pacific region still does not register on the average American's radar. Because the news channels cater to the American appetite, stories of China and the region, while increasing in importance, still tend to focus on the human interest stories of development and are buried on Page 3.

That's likely to change though in the coming decade as China continues to develop its military and tests America's commitment to the region, well, unless Kim Kardashian gets married again that is...

A Starbucks Christmas "Placebo Effect" Moment

2011-11-29T06:09:00.005+08:00

Sunday morning before church I met up with some friends at the Starbucks outside Olympic MTR station. Let me say every November I live for the couple months when Starbucks makes its Christmas Blend coffee available. No fru-fru drinks for me! No iced, mocha, soy, decaff, frapaccinos thingies...just black coffee; or this time a year Christmas Blend black coffee in a mug!

So I was shocked, shocked when the young barista informed me that today they would not be brewing Christmas blend but two other coff...

...it was about this time I zoned out from what she was saying and was trying process this startling revelation. No Christmas blend? "Please understand," I explained to the young attendant who had no idea she was now in over her head, "but this time of year I make special trips to Starbucks to get my Starbucks Christmas blend coffee"

"I'm sorry sir, but we are not offering the Christmas coffee today." she said again. I thought for a moment not wanting to be a jerk but REALLY wanting my Starbucks Christmas blend. I decided to go for the placebo effect!

"Ok," I suggested. "Here is what we're going to do." The barista looked at me puzzled. I continued, "I'm going to ask for a black Grande Christmas Blend coffee in a mug. Then you're going to fill it with one of the coffees you are brewing today. When you give it to me, you are going to let me know it's Christmas blend coffee...so (I paused for the effect) I'd like to order a black Grande Christmas blend coffee...OK?"

The barista looked confused for just a moment but then smiled and replied, "Yes, Christmas blend grande...I'll get that now." I turned to talk with my friends for a moment before she indicated my coffee was ready.

"Your Christmas blend coffee sir" she smiled at me as she passed the mug. (Was that a wink she gave me?)

"Thank you" I smiled back taking the steaming hot mug from her.

Ah, Starbucks Christmas blend coffee...nothing better this holiday season!

A Hong Kong Thanksgiving!

2011-11-27T01:07:00.006+08:00

My first Hong Kong Thanksgiving was in 1990 and it was on a rooftop of a village home in Fanling. 21 years later the location was Ma Wan...but I was still on a village rooftop. The weather in November is perfect so sitting atop a roof with a full spread of food and a glass of wine makes one certainly thankful for one's blessings. And of course because a Hong Kong Thanksgiving tends to have non-American guests invited, the banquet eating table this year consisted of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and ...sushi!

And the sushi was just like grandma used to make!! :)

Earlier in the day I visited St. Johns Cathedral where they had an afternoon Thanksgiving service. A number of churches sponsored the event and so different ministers took turns sharing from the scripture on gratitude and having a thankful heart. The Counsel General for the American Consulate (essentially the American Ambassador to Hong Kong) then stood before the congregation and read President Obama's Thanksgiving Proclamation. It was... nice but I realized that earlier in the day I read President George Washington's original proclamation of Thanksgiving and Prayer (which made me wonder at what point we dropped the prayer part) which established the holiday back in 1789.

As I mentioned, Obama's proclamation was good...very appropriate and yet compared to Washington's it came across, at least to me, as muted and neutered. I won't reproduce the whole thing but a portion of Washington's speech will make my point:

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks ...And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions..."

American Consul General reading the President's Proclmation

I often here people say, "Washington wasn't a Christian...he was a Deist." Well, if that's the case, we need more Deists because if an American President said that today he's be labeled a dangerous Right-Wing radical hell bent on making the United States a theocracy. Funny since that kind of talk used to get your face on Mt. Rushmore and the One Dollar bill.

Anyhow, its late and I'm ranting. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

A Trip to Disney's Toy Story Land

2011-11-19T08:42:00.005+08:00

Woody welcomes you to Toy Story Land

When Hong Kong Disneyland first opened in September of 2005 it's arrival was greeted with mixed reviews. In addition to some embarrassing public relations gaffs, the park seemed to be universally proclaimed by the people of Hong Kong as being "too small." When I first went to the park at Christmas time 2008 I was asked by friends if I've ever been to Disneyland in America.
"Of course" I replied.
"Well," they responded, "don't get your hopes up."

Maybe its because I had lowered expectations but Gabriel I spent that first day at Hong Kong Disneyland having a lot of fun. Yes, compared to other Disneyland Parks is it too small. And yes, the complaint that the rides are geared toward younger children (Space Mountain being the only "thrill" ride) was valid. Perhaps Disney listened to its critics, or more likely responded to the unexpected competition that the newly renovated Ocean Park provided, but in 2009 Disneyland announced the planned expansion of the park with the addition of three "mini-lands"; Toy Story Land, Grizzly Gulch, and Mystic Point.

Yesterday November 18 was the opening of the first of the three: Toy Story Land. The new land is designed to make you feel like a "toy" surrounded by other toys. A giant Woody welcomes you as you enter and all the familiar characters from the Pixar film are out and about. The new park addition attempts to address the critique of the lack of thrill rides by providing, among others, a retro Hot Wheels roller coaster type ride. I rode the attraction. Honestly, when I first saw it I thought it didn't look to scary; but it turned to be much more "thrilling" than I had first thought. The screaming and crying on my part giving my true feelings away :)

The land also includes a green army "parachute" ride but the 90 minute wait made me save it for another visit. Unfortunantly there is no addition of a restaurant save "Jessie's Snack Bar". But I can say that pizza is FINALLY available in Disneyland. Some of the snacks in the park, geared toward the Asian palate, have not always been exciting for us Westerners. Yes, the advent of global diversity have provided us with fish balls, squid, and dried cuttlefish, but admittedly, it just won't ever replace pizza, hotdogs, and funnel cake in my amusement park experience.

Mystic Point coming soon!

I also got to peak through a barrier wall at the construction going on in Mystic Point. An upcoming land featuring a Amazon Rain Forest haunted house. I am really looking forward to that addition opening soon!

Christmas Lights come on!

Yesterday also marked the beginning of the Christmas season at Hong Kong Disneyland. Main Street USA is decked out in all of its Dickensian glory. They even lightly release imitation snow in the evening. That mixed with the soundtrack of holiday music makes for a great Christmas memory. If anyone knows how to do Christmas...its Disney!

Touring the U.S.S. George Washington

2011-11-14T07:18:00.008+08:00

Last week I received an e-mail from a friend at the U.S. Consulate. He said be that the U.S.S. George Washington would be in Hong Kong for a few days and would I like to go out with a guest and have a tour? Mmmm...let me think this over for 5 tenths of a second?

Nimitz class aircraft carrier, rows of F-18 Hornets, AWAC planes, helicopters, all sitting pretty under the American flag... do I want to take a trip out there?

Yep!

So Gabriel and I set out for Fenwick pier down in Wanchai where the launches out to the carrier originate. Years ago the U.S. Navy set up a "Fleet Arcade" at the pier to accommodate the thousands of sailors who spend their shore leave in the territory. There are retails shops, ATM, American style food, Internet etc. Even when ships are not in town its fun to head down there to buy some "American" stuff.

My son and I were led out to the pier and onto a 90 seater launch for the 30 minute ride out to the George Washington. I sat down next to a blurry eyed young man who still had more than a faint trace of booze on his breath. We chatted on the ride and it turned out he was one of the young pilots who had spent the evening in one of the local Hong Kong watering holes. "I told myself I wasn't going to be out all night, to get back and sleep on the ship, "he said, "...that didn't quite happen."

As a pastor I thought I should come up with some spiritual consoling but all I was able to muster was, jokingly, if he was going to "hurl" on the bumpy ride to let me know so I can get out of the way. He smiled and said, "Will do.".

On the flight deck

If I'm honest the little boy comes out in me in these situations because when I was a teen-ager all I wanted was to be a fighter pilot...and here was Mr. "Top Gun" himself. (Granted it was Mr. "Top Gun" after a night in Wanchai). We chatted on the way out and he said how he's learned not to assume they will actually be able to land in Hong Kong until his foot touches Hong Kong Island. That's because often China will use Hong Kong shore leave for the Americans as a diplomatic tool. "If we've sold a missile to Taiwan, or one of our ships goes through the Taiwan Strait, I know we aren't going to Hong Kong." he said. In 2009 the George Washington was due to spend Thanksgiving in the territory. Family members from America flew out to spend the holiday with their sons when, just hours before the ship was to enter Hong Kong, China denied entry and the whole fleet sailed off back out to sea.

Sitting in the Captain's Chair

Of course Hong Kong bears the real brunt of China's decision as local businesses lose about US one million dollars that these visits pump into the local economy. The pilot went on to say some of the "old guys" on the ship liked to reminisce about when the British had Hong Kong and there was no diplomatic tension as "we were entering the port of an ally."

Another thing the pilot said really struck me. I asked him what they generally did out on the sea and he replied a lot of flying and drills but, "when we heard about the flooding in Thailand we began moving the fleet in that direction in case they asked us for humanitarian assistance." I thought, "Wow". You have to give old Uncle Sam credit. We moved our whole fleet on the off chance we may be called upon to save lives. It made me proud as an American to think we're still the "good" guys...mostly.

View from the bridge

After about 30 minutes we reached the George Washington and docked with the pier set up at the rear of the ship. We were ushered out and down a long hallway decked out to receive visitors into the hanger bay where a number of aircraft had been set out specifically for display. The ship is huge and the hanger bay can accommodate 70 aircraft. A large American flag and Chinese flag was set up side by side undoubtedly for public relations purposes.

We were escorted to one of the hanger elevators that carry the planes from the hanger bay up to the flight deck. The elevator can carry 2 planes at a time and was surprisingly fast...as I suppose it would have to be if you are in a battle.

My apartment as seen from the flight deck

The flight deck is huge and were told that they can launch 2 fighters every 45 seconds. And as big as that deck looked, I imagine to a pilot trying to land on it...it looked pretty small. In fact one of the pilots told us that when a pilot is landing and misses the cables on the deck that helps him stop and has to swing around for another pass, thats called "bolting". When the pilot gets back there is a bolt hanging over his cabin door and it stays there until the next pilot "bolts" and then he gets it.

Gabriel and I climbed the many levels finally reaching the bridge where we were given a tour and explanation of how things operate up there. We even got to sit in the "Captain's Chair"...which for a guy, its pretty cool.

Gabriel with F- 18 fighter pilot!

After about an hour Gabriel and I left the U.S.S. George Washington and headed back to Fenwick Pier with great memories of our time together on the ship. And because the American restaurant was in full swing with sailors watching American football on big screen TV's, We treated ourselves to the best American cheeseburgers we'd had in a LONG time!

Glen Campbell & The Wichita Lineman

2011-11-10T17:45:00.002+08:00

Was reading the paper on Sunday morning and the weekend section had a nice article on Glen Campbell highlighting the fact that, at 75 years old, the famed singer was embarking on a "farewell" tour due to his recent diagnosis of Alzheimer's. It was a wonderful article detailing his fame, his struggle with alcohol and drugs, and even his relationship with God!

I remember my parents getting Campbell's Galveston album in the early 1970's and I played that record non-stop. Over the years I've been a minor Glen Campbell fan and enjoyed tunes like the Galveston, Rhinestone Cowboy, and Southern Nights. I even read his biography at one point.

Probably one of my favorite songs ever though is Wichita Lineman which was made famous by Campbell but has been covered many, many times since. I find the song hauntingly beautiful. So many love songs today deal with young or "upper class" love. Wichita Lineman is just a great blue-collar ballad about a county telephone man who is working hard and is dreaming about his lady. Even the fact that the song roots itself in Wichita gives it the resonance of a time gone by... in an America that once was.

Anyhow, it's very sad to see Campbell's diagnosis with Alzeimer's. Even during the article Campbell would lose track of where they were in the interview. Admittedly part of the reason they made the diagnosis public was so that fans coming to see his farewell tour would be understanding when he occasionally flubbed a line.

I think his fans will love him just the same. I only wish his tour included a trip to Hong Kong as an opportunity to see Glen Campbell is one I would not miss.

BTW, I include some You Tube clips I thought were great. An early Campbell performing Wichita Lineman and then a cover done by REM which I thought was fantastic. The last clip is the official video for his single off his last studio album Ghost on the Canvas. Is it just me or is this guy still able to nail it??

Why the Republicans need to get behind Romney

2011-11-09T06:20:00.005+08:00

Herman Cain is the front runner in the Republican race to the White House despite new charges of sexual harassment leveled against him. However this week's New Yorker has an article that says, The knowing people who know things in Washington generally believe that, once the electoral process begins in January, Romney will shed Cain, Perry, Bachmann, and the rest in rapid fashion."

Although I don't live in Washington, consider me one of those who "know".

Months ago I was one of those Republicans that were hoping another candidate would get in the race. Someone that would inspire the party. There was a quick moment when Rick Perry began his run (and admittedly when I knew nothing about him) that I thought, "Mmm maybe". Of course then Perry started talking and that potential love affair ended before it got started.
Of course, that got me wondering how this guy got elected Governor of Texas in the first place? By the way, how does one become Governor of Texas? State Fair raffle? Turkey shoot? I'm starting to wonder...

Anyhow...

Herman Cain? He may be nice... he may be sincere. But, whenever he discusses anything dealing with foreign policy I vacillate between laughter...and well...laughter. Let him keep making pizzas, its a noble and necessary occupation, but that guy should never be let anywhere near Air Force One.

Michelle Bachmann? Was never a serious contender. She could mobilize a particularly robust segment of the party and that got her on the radar...but alas no, Americans are still smart enough to reject the Bachmanns (and Palins for that matter) of the party on the national scale.

And I think that is the fundamental problem right now with the GOP. They seem to be "getting behind" candidates that have a particular regional appeal, but would never be seriously considered on the national stage. Michelle Bachmann may be a able to represent Wisconsin's 6th congressional district but do we really think she can transform into the representative of the nation??

And so, my support for Romney has gone up considerably. He has shown in the debates to rise above the fray and project a potential Mr. President. As a Republican that managed to get elected of the left leaning State of Massachusetts he has shown he has appeal beyond Republican circles and can capture those crucial independent voters in the general election.

And yet my party seems to be going from one questionable candidate to the other in the hope they won't get stuck having to support Romney. Even Obama replied recently when asked who he believed his election opponent might be that, "first we should see who gets voted off the Island next." highlighting the comical Reality-TV element of the the process.

Of course the only other candidate I like is Jon Huntsman and he's preparing for 2016 should we see a GOP implosion in 2012.

Hiking in Hong Kong: Mui Wo to Discovery Bay

2011-11-08T06:17:00.004+08:00

Start: At the Ferry Pier

Gabriel and I just finished a Saturday afternoon hike from Mui Wo to Discovery Bay. For non- Hong Kongers the hike was on Lantau Island (Hong Kong's biggest Island) from the village of Mui Wo over a range of hills into the upscale residential mecca of Discovery Bay.

Along the beach

My son and I are taking more hikes as of late to prepare ourselves for the big "father-son trip" we have planned for next summer when we travel to England to do the Wainwright Coast to Coast Walk. Like the name suggests, it is a 2 week journey traveling from the west coast of the country starting at the Irish sea and ending up 14 days later in Robin Hoods Bay on the east coast. More on that in posts to come...

Looking back at Mui Wo

Anyhow, Gabriel and I got our back packs full of water and caught the Park Island ferry downtown to the Central Ferry. From there, we grabbed the Mui Wo ferry which dumped us off at the pier and the start of our hike. Mui Wo is rather unique in Hong Kong as the ferry pier there has thousands of bikes parked just outside. People tend to ride from their flats and park at the pier before riding the ferry into the city. It's probably the only place in Hong Kong where bicycles are a serious form of transportation.

The Trappist Monastery

We paused for a quick breakfast before setting out along the beachfront. The trail winds around the beach before heading up into the mountains. We missed that turnoff and had to back track a couple times.
Actually, truth be told I phoned Tammy who gave me navigational directions from some maps I had left up on the computer.

The trail is quite popular as it offers some amazing views - both ascending out of Mui Wo and then later descending into Discovery Bay. The trail also affords the opportunity to visit the Trappist Monastery, a Roman Catholic establishment known for their dairy production and milk that is available in Hong Kong. They follow the Cistercean Order of Observance so they remain very quiet around the grounds.

Space Mountain in background

As Gabriel and I approached the chapel we could hear worshipful chanting. We approached cautiously not wanting to disturb. We stood at the entrance for a few moments enjoying the sounds of worship and then turned to continue our journey. The solace of the moment though was broken by a female hiker who bounded up to the chapel in shorts and sports bra with her belly hanging out. All of our careful attention to not disturb was lost. It's then you realize that some people will never "get it". They live in a perpetual fog of their own...stuff... oh well, enough about them.

We continued past the "12 Stations of the Cross" that apparently the monks had erected at points leading up to the monastery. Gabriel asked me what that was and I was able to explain to him about the stations of the cross and the ritual that people use particularly at Easter time to draw closer to Christ by reflecting on His final day.

At one point Gabriel and I could see Disneyland in the distance. The tall spiral of Space Mountain could clearly be seen. We arrived finally in Discovery Bay, and I must admit it has been a long time since I visited there. I understand why many Westerners in Hong Kong like to make it their home as it certainly caters to the Western taste in food and surroundings.

Gabriel and I grabbed a lunch at Ebeneezer's where we had a lamb curry...and French Fries :) The plan had been to then walk to Sunny Bay and catch the MTR home from there but we realized we were running short on time and that trail would take at least another 3 hours...so we took the bus instead.

Next time...

Residency for Domestic Helpers is good news for Hong Kong restaurants.

2011-11-01T07:47:00.006+08:00

I grabbed my Sunday morning paper at the 7-11 near the Park Island ferry pier just before heading off to church. The 22 minute ride downtown offers me just enough time to scan the headlines as I balance my coffee and see what trouble people are getting up to in the world. In the op-ed section of the South China Morning Post there are the "Quotes of the Week" and one quote struck me.

If you read my recent post or live in Hong Kong you know that the granting of permanent residence to the Filipino and Indonesian domestic helpers has been very controversial. Essentially anyone who lives in Hong Kong for 7 years legally can apply for Permanent Residence except domestic helpers. The Courts have ruled it discriminatory while the government plans to file an appeal. Meanwhile long term domestic helpers have been applying for residency despite the fact that it all could get held up in political bickering.

So, back to the quote of the week! Little Soriano Pacita, a domestic helper in Hong Kong for 14 years filed for her residency and is quoted saying, "If I were granted Right of Abode, I could work as a waitress in restaurants instead of as a domestic helper. I want to spend more time to socialize with more people and date a guy."

I smiled and thought, "Good for Soriano Pacita and doubly good for the restaurants in Hong Kong." An increase in Filipinos entering the hospitality industry would be great for the territory.

Why you ask?

Well for starters, the Filipinos English levels tend to be much higher so when you ask for salt from them while dining, they don't return to your table proudly bearing a ketchup bottle. Second, the Filipinos excel at hospitality and are quite gregarious making chatting with them while out dining a pleasurable experience.

For example, on the same day that I read the quote in the paper, Tammy and I had lunch at Taco Loco; a Mexican restaurant in SoHo just off the mid-levels escalator. Our server was a Filipino and she was the perfect hostess and waitress. She chatted with us, helped get food that Ethan George could eat, and made some accommodations that we wouldn't have bothered to ask for if she hadn't been so hospitable.

Back when Hong Kong was a British territory, British nationals could come to Hong Kong and work visa free. Then the predominately English speaking areas like Lan Kwai Fong's many nightclubs and restaurants were populated by young Brits back packing across the world who took advantage of the territory's colonial status to stop and make a few bucks before heading out again. After 1997 that loophole was closed and the hospitality staff in those areas abruptly changed.

Gone was "Ian" the Scottish bartender at the Fringe Club who used to give the free drink on occasion. Granted I couldn't understand his English much either through his thick Scot accent...but did I mention the free drinks? Have you been to the Fringe Club lately? There are no more Scotsmen behind the bar...

So, my opinion on this subject is confirmed. If giving residency to domestic helpers helps our struggling hospitality industry I say lets give it to them.

Oh, and its also the right thing to do...if that helps.

Chris Patten, Hong Kong's last Governor, back for a visit

2011-10-27T15:34:00.004+08:00

Chris Patten, Hong Kong's last Governor, returned to the territory for the first time in 3 years to a receptive audience of well wishers. Patten, or Fat Pang as he is also affectionately known, remains popular among the people of Hong Kong for his championing of democratic reforms in the run up to the handover of sovereignty from Great Britain to China in 1997.

Last week I was sitting with some Hong Kong Chinese peers and the subject of next years Chief Executive election came up. (The Chief Executive is the post created to replace the Governor after the handover) My friends were bemoaning the choice of the the two front runner candidates that they felt would be ineffective in leading Hong Kong into the 21st Century. There seemed to be a consensus that either candidate would be too scared of upsetting Beijing to be very effectual.

It was at this point I piped in and suggested, "Sounds like Hong Kong needs a Chinese Chris Patten as a candidate."

Surprisingly (or perhaps not surprisingly) there seemed to be universal agreement on the subject.
"He was good for Hong Kong" responded one
"He didn't care what Britain or China thought...He put Hong Kong people first." responded another.
"The Hong Kong people still think very highly of him." added a third.

Its easy to see why, even after 14 years, Fat Pang still holds a certain soft spot in the locals hearts, particularly with the older generation of Hong Kongers. Unlike previous Governors, and later Chief Executives, Chris Patten was known for frequently strolling along Hong Kong streets in an attempt to meet everyday Hong Kong people. In fact, many a Hong Kong restaurant would have a picture on the wall of the Governor stopping by their establishment and posing with the owner.

I remember once in the late 1990's after the Handover the owner of a restaurant Tammy and I frequented in Wan Chai told us a story. For a number of years he had a picture of himself with Chris Patten on the wall when Patten had dropped by out of the blue one day to meet him in his back kitchen. Some local government officials who were part of the new post-British administration came in for lunch one day and called him over to their table. He said to me, "Steve, they pointed at the picture of Chris Patten and me shaking hands and asked whether it wasn't about time I took that picture down."

He told them, "No, the picture stays but any time Tung Che-Hwa (the then Chief Executive) wants to come around and shake my hand, I'll be happy to put his picture up as well".

The officials never came back...

Patten was well known for his love of local egg tarts and the South China Morning Post newspaper reported that his plane had landed at 4:00 PM and the former Governor was able to sample his first local egg tart at "quarter past five".

Although Patten's visit to Hong Kong is not political in nature he did have three pieces of advice for the two men seeking to run for his old job;

"Understanding the profound honor of serving the people of Hong Kong. Understanding the reasons for the city's success are prerequisites for success. Comprehending the full meaning of 'one country, two systems' is important too."

Border Crossings: The New Shenzhen Bay link

2011-10-20T06:26:00.004+08:00

Just got back from a few days in China. Rather than fly out of Hong Kong Internationally into China, we decided to go over the border locally and take a domestic flight from Shenzhen airport. (Significantly cheaper but a bigger hassle) We bought tickets for a cross border bus from Kowloon Tong and headed north through the territory for about 45 minutes.

Now, I've been through just about every border point between Hong Kong and China. There are bus borders like the one we were on, pedestrian borders, ferry borders, and even train borders. However as we got on the new Shenzhen Bay bridge, separating Hong Kong and China, I was confused. As we got about half way over I realized something was different. The road signs had changed to Chinese only (rather than English and Chinese on the Hong Kong side) and we were obviously entering Shenzhen which is the border city with Hong Kong on the China side. We had entered China but we hadn't passed through customs "exiting" Hong Kong.

Normally on the bus borders (and a big hassle) is you approach the Hong Kong immigration point and then everyone gets out of the bus. You go through customs, get back on the bus, travel through the border, get off the bus again, and the then finally enter China passing through their immigration point.

As we came to the end of the new bridge across the bay I saw the Hong Kong flag at the front of a brand spanking new customs building... but we were obviously "in China". We got off the bus and entered the terminal. Using my "smart" ID card I exited Hong Kong through the e-channel avoiding the long immigration lines for non-residents. Then just a few meters ahead was the China immigration point.

Now I got it! They put the whole process under one roof to eliminate some of the time and hassle involved. Very cool and then I thought, "This could never happened when Britain controlled Hong Kong!" But now, with China exercising sovereignty over the territory having a Hong Kong check point on Chinese soil was not quite as big a deal...and a whole lot more convenient. (Or, was the the beginning of Hong Kong exercising control over China... mmmmmm ...interesting...)

Looking up the check point on Wikipedia they went on to note that Hong Kong phone coverage, both mobile and landline, are provided via Hong Kong (which explained why I could still call Tammy from the border) and Hong Kong's power company provided the electricity for the Hong Kong side of the building. (That must have been a fun design for the planners)

Despite the new convenience, I have to leave for Qingdao China later this morning and this time I'm just leaving from Hong Kong International Airport which is still the easiest way to cross the border by far.

The Way: Hiking the Way of St. James

2011-10-12T22:00:00.004+08:00

Just watched a wonderful inspirational movie called The Way and thought it deserves a post. The film chronicles the adventure of a successful doctor who takes up his son's journey to complete the El Camino de Santiago (or The Way of St. James) after the son's tragic death in the French Pyrenees. Real life father and son Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez team up for the project which was obviously a labor of love for the both of them

The El Camino de Santiago is a thousand year old Catholic Christian pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in north west Spain. The journey can originate from different starting point but the most famous, and the one accomplished in the movie The Way, starts in France and is a total of 780 kilometers.

The story itself is a little familiar. A successful American doctor is seemingly happy in his suburban Western world of rich patients and golf courses. He and his son's relationship, seen in flashbacks, shows a young man wanting to explore life and a father not understanding him. Forced to confront the tragedy of his death, Sheen picks up the mantle of his son's pilgrimage first as a sense of obligation but later, after encounters with fellow travelers including a priest recovering from cancer, he experiences his own personal and spiritual awakening.

The movie appealed to me on many levels. Gabriel (my 13 year old son) and I are preparing to do a two week 200 mile walk across a section of England next summer called the Wainwright Coast to Coast walk so a movie chronicling the impact a long distance walk had on a man's life was particularly relevant. Also, Sheen's character experiences a renewal in his Christian faith during his journey. Beginning the movie as a self-made man of means he becomes increasingly aware that the world is much more than what he conceived and that God's place in his own life is maybe needed more than he thought.

During the journey Sheen acquires fellow travelers that help him see life through a new lens. Each of them has their own "issues" but those issues are best worked out in their togetherness and shared humanity.
And lets face it, any movie that has a group of people drinking wine at the end of day with the beautiful European countryside in the background is worth watching on those merits alone.

And I have determined that the El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage is on my "bucket list"...but I'll see how we do on a 200 mile hike next summer before I plan on a 500 mile one :)

So if you get a chance, watch The Way...and then go take a hike :)

Pet Peeves of Working in a Bookstore

2011-10-10T17:37:00.000+08:00

For three years I got to work in what many consider a dream job;

...I worked in a bookstore.

Yes, I worked for Barnes & Noble Booksellers. And yes, it was fun and got to work with some fantastic people, (and thanks to the magic that is Facebook, I able able to stay in contact with many of them.)

Anyhow, there are a 101 funny stories from my time there and they were often the direct result of the absurdity that is the American Consumer. People are selfish and our retail led culture panders to that selfishness by, well, pretty much giving them whatever they want no matter how badly they act.

Over the summer, Barnes & Noble's biggest competitor, Borders, filed for bankruptcy. With their stores closing, one employee apparently got to declare what the employees of any solvent retail organization would never dare; He got to list a number of grievances that the employees had with their customers. So, without further ado:

Here is a Borders Bookstore's employee' “Things We Never Told You: Ode to a bookstore death”(and you can believe Barnes & Noble employees have a similar list)

++ We hate when a book becomes popular simply because it was turned into a movie.

++ It confused us when we were asked where the non-fiction section is.

++ Nicholas Sparks is not a good writer … if you like him, fine, but facts are facts.

++ We greatly dislike the phrase “Quick question.” It’s never true. And everyone seems to have one.

++ Your summer reading list was our summer reading NIGHTMARE. Also, it’s called summer reading, not three days before school starts reading.

++ It’s true that we lean to the left and think Glenn Beck is an idiot.

++ We always knew when you were intently reading Better Homes and Gardens, it was really a hidden Playboy.

++ Most of the time when you returned books you read them already — and we were onto you.

++ Limit One Coupon did not mean one for every member of your family — this angered us. Also, we did know what coupons were out.

++ It never bothered us when you threatened to shop at Barnes & Noble. We’d rather you do if you’re putting up a stink.

++ “I was just here last week and saw this book there” meant nothing to us. The store changed once a week.

++ When you walked in and immediately said, “I’m looking for a book,” what you really meant to say is, “I would like you to find me a book.” You never looked. It’s fine, it’s our job — but let’s be correct about what’s really happening here.

++ If you don’t know the author, title, or genre, but you do know the color of the cover, we don’t either. How it was our fault that we couldn’t find it we’ll never understand.

To this I would like to add a few I remember from my time at the bookstore:

* Parents that let their kids pull out 20 books and then say, "Come on the attendant will put them away"

* People that would come with a STACK of books that obviously had not been bought there and try to return them

* People that would grab a book off the rack and then come up and say, "I'd like to return this book but I lost the receipt."

* Customers that would come into the coffee shop and have a whole other meal from a different restaurant.

* People that would buy, "Eat, Pray, Love"

* When people would get mad at Christmas because we had run out of "Hanukkah" wrapping paper. (We only had 1 or 2 rolls every season)

I'm sure I could think of more but this "Ode" pretty much sums it up.

TV You Should Watch: Yes Minister!

2011-10-06T19:55:00.003+08:00

I've been meaning to start a series of occasional posts highlighting what I believe are the Best TV Shows ever and why you should give them a look see. This post is prompted by seeing a You Tube clip from the BBC highlighting the possibility that Yes Minister is the Best British comedy ever.

Co-Writer Jonathan Lynn describes it best when he says, "There is no reason why, when you think about it, Yes Minister should be a hit. There's no sex, no action... on paper it's a complete dud!"

Despite this, I have watched all of the episodes MANY times over and in my humble opinion it is one of the funniest, most intelligently written shows ever produced. Yes Minister follows the exploits of the Minister of Administrative Affairs James Hacker and his Machiavellian Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby. In later episodes, Hacker is elected to be the Prime Minister and then things get even more crazy.

I know this clip is a little long but if you want a good laugh and a little understanding of what I find to be extremely funny, watch it until the end.

Although the action takes place in a Reagan / Thatcher era Great Britain, the parody of the absurdity of modern politics are laid bare in all of their glorious grandeur.

So take Uncle Stevie's advice and give Yes Minister & Yes Prime Minister a look...

Detroit Tigers: American League Division Series begins

2011-09-30T16:09:00.003+08:00

I have been a Detroit Tigers fan for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a baseball loving family and whether its my mom pitching to me as a 4 yr old in the back yard, or my dad having "the game" on the radio from the garage as he worked on the car, I have grown up with Detroit Tigers baseball. To this day part of my mom's mood when I call her can be "how the Tigers are doing."

So, I just want to give a big shout out to my hometown team for clinching their division this year with a quite impressive 95-67 record and second place Cleveland Indians a distant 15 games behind. Leading the team is pitching ace Justin Verlander who ended the season with an incredible 24-5 record and posting a 2.40 E.R.A.

Verlander will go toe to toe tonight in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against New York Yankees ace CC Sabathia. It is most likely going to be a pitching duel and a low scoring game but who knows. The last time The Yankees and the Tigers met in a playoff series was in 2006 when the Tigers spanked the Yankees and sent them back to the Bronx crying.

Here in Hong Kong it will be Saturday morning so I guess I'll watch it live with coffee, eggs, and toast rather than a hot dog, chips, and salsa.

I even have a couple friends who don't like baseball per se but might come by to keep me company.

Of course that may mean I might have to return the favor and sit through a soccer game.

That would be a real test of friendship...

Chris Christie: Please...Please run for President!!

2011-09-29T10:05:00.007+08:00

Chris Christie probably won't run...but I sure hope he does. Up until now I've been somewhat behind Mitt Romney. One because he has increasingly impressed me in his debate performances and second because most of the the rest of the Republican field are a public embarrassment.

Watching Christie talk though I realize this guy means what he says. Everyone else, Obama included, seem like they have just been given a cue card to read from. No strength, no passion... I was beginning to think men of courage no longer ran for President. Well since he is still sitting on the fence, maybe they don't.

When the rest of the Republican candidates invoke Reagan it seems depressing. They want the mantle but on them it hangs like an ill fitting leisure suit. When Christie talks about America he doesn't have to invoke Reagan...he's already living it. I listen to him and think, "I want what he's having."

I think Romney could be a good president but Chris Christie has the potential to be a great one.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

At the same time I would be remiss if I forgot to mention our favorite Grizzly Mama, Sarah Palin, said she is still considering running for President. Oh, I do wish she would. She could say some random silly things, make us all giggle, give Saturday Night Live some choice material, and then maybe...if we're all really, really lucky...she'll just go away!

But that may be to much to hope for!

Forbes Magazine names "10 Happiest Jobs" and "10 Most Hated Jobs"

2011-09-27T16:31:00.000+08:00

"Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who are the happiest workers of all?"

Seems according to Forbes magazine, men of the cloth appear to have the most job satisfaction. I have to admit it, I was a bit surprised as "clergy" would not have been my # 1 guess. According to the article the Top 10 happiest jobs are: (courtesy of Forbes Magazine)

1. Clergy: The least worldly are reported to be the happiest of all

2. Firefighters: Eighty percent of firefighters are “very satisfied” with their jobs, which involve helping people.

3. Physical therapists: Social interaction and helping people apparently make this job one of the happiest.

4. Authors: For most authors, the pay is ridiculously low or non-existent, but the autonomy of writing down the contents of your own mind apparently leads to happiness.

5. Special education teachers: If you don’t care about money, a job as special education teacher might be a happy profession. The annual salary averages just under $50,000.

6. Teachers: Teachers in general report being happy with their jobs, despite the current issues with education funding and classroom conditions. The profession continues to attract young idealists, although fifty percent of new teachers are gone within five years.

7. Artists: Sculptors and painters report high job satisfaction, despite the great difficulty in making a living from it.

8. Psychologists: Psychologists may or may not be able to solve other people’s problems, but it seems that they have managed to solve their own.

9. Financial services sales agents: Sixty-five percent of financial services sales agents are reported to be happy with their jobs. That could be because some of them are clearing more than $90,000 dollars a year on average for a 40-hour work week in a comfortable office environment.

10. Operating engineers: Playing with giant toys like bulldozers, front-end loaders, backhoes, scrapers, motor graders, shovels, derricks, large pumps, and air compressors can be fun. With more jobs for operating engineers than qualified applicants, operating engineers report being happy.

And since I'm kinda-clergy, kinda an author, and kinda a teacher, that would explain why I'm "kinda happy."

But now (boo-hiss) the 10 Most Hated Jobs (again courtesy of Forbes magazine)

1. Director of Information Technology: Information technology directors hold almost as much sway over the fate of some companies as a chief executive, but they reported the highest level of dissatisfaction with their jobs. Why? “Nepotism, cronyism, disrespect for workers.”

2. Director of Sales and Marketing: A director of sales and marketing plans reported the second-highest level of job dissatisfaction, “a lack of direction from upper management and an absence of room for growth”.

3. Product Manager: Product managers complained of restricted career growth, and boring clerical work even at this level.

4. Senior Web Developer: Senior web developers reported a high degree of unhappiness in their jobs, because employers are unable to communicate coherently, and lack an understanding of the technology.

5. Technical Specialist: A technical specialist reported that for all their expertise, they were treated with a palpable disrespect. Their input was not taken seriously by senior management.

6. Electronics Technician: Electronics technicians complain of having too little control, work schedule, lack of accomplishment, no real opportunity for growth, no motivation to work hard, no say in how things are done, and mutual hostility among peers.

7. Law Clerk: Clerkships are among the most highly sought-after positions in the legal profession and the job beefs up a resume. Yet law clerks still report high levels of dissatisfaction. The hours are long and grueling, and the clerk is subject to the whims of sometimes mercurial personalities.

8. Technical Support Analyst: Technical support analysts help people with their computer issues. This typically amounts to calmly communicating technical advice to panicked individuals, often over the phone, and then going on site only to find the client simply hadn’t turned the printer on. They may be required to travel at a moment’s notice, sometimes on holidays or weekends.

9. CNC Machinist: CNC machinists operate computer numerical control machines. For the uninitiated, this is a machine that operates a lathe or a mill. Now that the CNC operator has had most of the physical hazards of manufacturing replaced by a machine, there’s not a lot to do but push buttons and maintenance. Since it’s a specialized skill, the job offers no room for advancement.

10. Marketing Manager: Marketing managers often cited a lack of direction as the primary reason for job dissatisfaction.

The article goes on to say that, "What’s striking about the list is that these relatively high level people are imprisoned in hierarchical bureaucracies. They see little point in what they are doing. The organizations they work for don’t know where they are going, and as a result, neither do these people."

It's true, what kid ever looks at that list and says, "When I grow up I want to be one of those."

So its never to late to jump ship and do what makes you happy...

Diversity: or How America makes Americans

2011-09-25T08:01:00.005+08:00

My 9 month old son, Ethan George, attended his first Republican meeting this week. Being that I am in Hong Kong I need to qualify that statement to say I am referring to the American political party and not any organization designed to abolish the Monarchy.

God Save the Queen!

No, the Republicans Abroad is the group in Hong Kong for Americans of the Republican Party to gather together for networking and political events. This last Thursday's Lan Kwai Fong event was a reception to get to know Philip Yin, a state of Washington native working in Hong Kong, who is returning home this week to run for the U.S. Senate.

As someone who had run for the U.S. House of Representatives, Yin and I had a bit to talk about. We hold a similar position on a number of issues, tend to favor a more "moderate" approach in general and both shook our heads in embarrassment at the performance of a majority of the Republican presidential candidates in the previous night's debate. I was able to encourage him in the undertaking he was preparing to start and I always applaud anyone willing to "enter the arena" so to speak.

As Philip Yin addressed the group of about 30 who had come out to wish him well though I was struck by a thought. He talked about his father immigrating to America as a young man from China speaking no English but working hard to achieve the American Dream. He stated although he supports China he is American and his loyalty is to America. The thought that struck me was the pride I felt in our country that we can absorb the best and the brightest from around the world and create Americans. This son of a poor Chinese immigrant is making a legitimate run for the U.S. Senate. Its as if America says to the world, "Yes, you to can be American". There would (most likely) never be the reciprocal opportunity for an immigrant's child in Asia. I mean the child of a Filipino maid could never get elected to public office in Malaysia, Japan, or South Korea.

Even in cosmopolitan Hong Kong, the Legislative Counsel is made up of only ethnic Chinese and is likely to remain that way for the foreseeable future.

In 2008 I was teaching a class in Qingdao China made up primarily of Korean International students. It was election week in American and I asked the class who they wanted to win the U.S. presidency...McCain or Obama? The class mostly supported Obama. I asked one young South Korean student why? She responded, "Because it's good for America to have a minority president to promote diversity."

I responded that was very thoughtful and true that because of past racial tensions in America the election of Barack Obama may help demonstrate new opportunities for diversity in America. Then I furthered the notion, "So you would also be open to more diversity in South Korea as well and perhaps have a minority president in the future...possibly a black president?"

She quickly dropped her head and I sensed a wave of discomfort among the mainly Korean students. They whispered in Korean for a moment and then she looked up at me and embarrassingly responded,

"No, that couldn't happen in Korea."

Apparently diversity is good... you know, for Western nations who are into that sort of thing.

But at that Republicans Abroad reception I realized for all the bumps, bruises, and challenges that come from our vast melting pot...its still cooking up a pretty good dish!

Seeing Kevin Spacey live as "Richard III" in Hong Kong

2011-09-18T07:11:00.003+08:00

Last June I got an e-mail from Hong Kong ticketing that the current London West End production of Richard III
starring Oscar winner Kevin Spacey would be coming to Hong Kong in September and ticket sales had begun. Rather than buy tickets assuming I'd find friends who wanted to go, the high cost of the tickets made me want to have confirmations first.

That was a mistake!

24 hours after tickets went on sale I called the box office...they were all sold out!

For an amateur Shakespeare aficionado like myself this hurt. Living in Hong Kong does not offer opportunities like this all the time.

Yesterday though Gabriel and I went down to the 3:00 matinee on the off chance someone would be wanting to get rid of tickets. Unfortunately everyone that had an extra ticket or two had the high price "good" seats. I was looking for some more economical tickets. I told Gabriel to stick by me as I thought if someone was going to "dump" a good ticket cheap they would do it with the altruistic thought that they were giving it to a guy who was trying to expose his son to Shakespeare. (Hey I don't have a lot to work with)

Well, one lady had two HK$ 1000 tickets (US$ 130) to sell but the max I wanted to pay for 2 tickets was HK$ 800 (or less)...so we had a bit of a gulf between us. As the 3 o'clock start time loomed I saw her talking to her husband and she came over and said, "I want to give a ticket to a student so I'll give you both tickets for HK$1000." Although this was a little over my budget she was basically giving me a free HK$1000 dollar ticket and I wasn't going to let HK$ 200 (US$ 25) stop me from seeing Kevin Spacey doing Shakespeare.

The tickets were prime...12th row center! And the performance? Some have said that Spacey overplays Richard III...but thats what I like in a live show. Spacy's Richard is the twisted shell of a man whose movement's on stage mimic a spider scurrying between his victims as he spins his web. His performance was brilliant and in my humble opinion he is a master of what actors affectionately refer to as "the craft".

The set design was both spartan and creative using twin hallways of doors to serve not only as means of entrance and exit but to represent key plot points such as the show's numerous murders and executions.

Director Sam Mendes utilized video, music, and a little political satire of his own to enhance the story and bring fresh dimensions to an old tale ripe for a new generation.

Probably the best moment, and one any father will appreciate, is coming out of a 3 hour Shakespeare performance and having your teenage son say, "Wow, that was great!"

Remembering Sept.11, 2001

2011-09-13T06:13:00.002+08:00

Has it really been 10 years?

Our phone rang and Tammy answered. I saw her face furl a bit and she turned to me, "Its Donna, she said a plane has just flown into the World Trade Center."

My first thought was that it was a light plane and a bad pilot. I reached over and flicked on the news. There it was...one of the towers with smoke billowing out. It was both tragic, confusing... and fascinating at the same time. We stared...commented....stared...and commented. And then we watched as another plane slammed into the second tower. And then we knew! We all knew!

I turned to Tammy, "We're under attack!"

I was working as a concierge at the Westin Hotel just south of Boulder Colorado and scheduled to go in. Does one go into work while your country is being attacked by an unknown enemy? What is the protocol for this. I didn't want to leave Tammy and my then 3 year old Gabriel. Eventually a Russian neighbor came over and she and Tammy stayed together as the events unfolded and I rushed off to work.

When I arrived at the hotel the area around my lobby desk was already in chaos. I can't remember exactly when ALL flights were cancelled and the air space over America was shut down but I was immediately thrown into the chore of trying to get guests home by any means other than air travel. I quickly put together a master list of locations around the country where people wanted to go...and it was everywhere. Dallas, Atlanta, New York, and Chicago to name but a few. I had two phones in each ear as I scrambled to get people on buses, planes, and renting cars from agencies that were none to happy about knowing that guests were driving their cars cross country.

I remember a private Denver town car service I worked with offering to drive a guy to Dallas for US$ 1600 ...and having that offer accepted by a man desperate to get home. People that rented cars to travel across country I talked into taking complete strangers to cities they would travel through along the way. I managed to talk one guy going to Detroit into dropping off another guy in Chicago.

I can be quite persuasive...

I worked on this for the next 3 days never really getting thanked by hotel management or given any acknowledgement other than a "Thanks" from a grateful guest heading out the door. But everyone was busy...and we all pulled together selflessly and did our duty. It's unfortunate that it is in these times of tragedy that people's lights seem to shine brightest.

That night our church had a prayer meeting at someone's home. We stood outside on the porch looking at the disturbingly quite sky interpreted occasionally by the fighter jets flying overhead out of Colorado Springs.

I remember looking over at a couple of the others and saying, "It all changes now"

And it did...

Star Trek at 45!

2011-09-08T13:34:00.004+08:00

On September 8th 1966 a lttle TV show named Star Trek debuted for the first time on NBC. It told the tale of the crew of the Starship Enterprise's journey to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and to boldly go where no Man has gone before. (That is until some Einstein changed it to "where no one has gone before"; which musters about the same emotional impact as Ben Stein muttering "Bueller...Bueller..."

Debuting at a time when black Americans were expected to sit to the rear of a bus and women were largely seen on TV coming out of the kitchen with a casserole in their hand, Star Trek broke convention by featuring a black female senior Communications officer. Add to the multicultural crew a Russian navigator during the height of the Cold War and an Oriental helmsmen and you see why the debut of Star Trek has always been seen as groundbreaking for network TV.

For years in the 1970's and early '80's UHF Channel 50 in Detroit would broadcast reruns of Star Trek every Saturday and Sunday evening. By the time I was 10 I knew all 79 episodes like the back of my hand. Later I would close my eyes at the beginning of a show and try to guess which episode it was from Kirk's opening "Captain's Log". Yep, I was a Star Trek geek and and it only followed that my closest friends would be Star Trek geeks.

Of course there have been new incarnations of the show but none have ever replaced the iconic characters made famous by William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and Co. As much as we may have liked The Next Generation I don't imagine when JJ Abrams rebooted the series a couple years back there was any discussion whether they would be recasting a young Picard rather than a young Kirk.

But all of that pales to the fact that when Star Trek premiered in that September evening of 1966 I was 4 days old.

Yep, I'm as old as Star Trek.

Over time as the show celebrated key anniversary years (15, 25, 35) with retrospective reflections and highlight interviews with cast and crew I was always reminded how old I was. So when I saw promotions for the 45th anniversary I was suddenly like, "Ugh, am I really going to be 45 years old !"

Somehow the 25th anniversary was much more exciting to me.

Anyhow...Happy Birthday Star Trek! Won't be long before we're both celebrating 50!

Cowboys...Aliens...and the Grace of God

2011-09-04T07:02:00.008+08:00

Just took Gabriel to see the new summer blockbuster Cowboys & Aliens! I knew from when I first heard the title I was going to love it because ...well...it has Cowboys...and Aliens. Nuff said!

Anyhow as I was watching the movie I was struck by how much the idea of redemption and God's Grace underpinned the movie. That wasn't surprising as when I saw the credits roll at the beginning I noticed one of the screenwriters for the film was Lost writer Damon Lindelof. The Catholic Lindelof was known for including Christian themes such as redemption into the story line of Lost so it came as no shock to me when I saw similar themes in Cowboys & Aliens. Even the "preacher" in the film (played by the always solid Clancy Brown) was a man of conviction who brought life and grace to those he met.

Like I was saying though, it was the message of God's Grace that really struck me. Harrsison Ford plays local land baron Woodrow Dolarhyde. At the beginning of the film Dolarhyde's arrogant, spoiled son Percy shoots the town's deputy more from stupidity than maliciousness. The "law" in the form of the Sheriff arrests Percy and has him sent to another city for trial. Dolarhyde rides into town to rescue Percy and although he knows Percy is a silly spoiled child, he is still his son. The scene of Dolarhyde attempting to get his boy free though is interrupted by the "aliens" who sweep down from the sky and kidnap a number of town folk including young Percy.

Despite the fact his son has shown to not be deserving of his Father's love, Dolarhyde mounts a posse to go and save him as well as the rest of the townspeople. Along the way Dolarhyde shows himself to be a "father" to other "adopted" sons along the way.

In the end, Percy is saved and when he sees what his father has done to redeem him, it changes who he is. His behaviour begins to model that of his father. In turn, Dolarhyde informs his son he had the bank checks redone to reflect the new family business name, "Dolarhyde & Son".

In the same way, we have done nothing to earn our heavenly father's love other than to be his children. It is when we realize the blessed position we are in and the love our father has for us that we can begin to experience genuine transformation in who we really are.

Another great illustration from the movie was when Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) who was a wanted felon, is given his freedom at the end of the movie. After he had demonstrated selflessness and his own change of character, the sheriff and Dolarhyde inform him that when the Federal Marshall's came looking to arrest him, they told them Jake Lonergan died in the battle. The old man that he used to be was dead and the law has no hold on a dead man. He was free to go.

Sound familiar?

Cowboys and Aliens was great summer popcorn fun. Seeing Harrison Ford back in action (heck, admittedly I grew up watching Harrison Ford) fighting...shooting bad guys...and being, ...well...Harrison Ford is all I need in a summer movie. Plus it has Cowboys...and Aliens!

Can you really beat that?

Christian Movies: They're getting better!

2011-08-26T17:48:00.006+08:00

If you were a Christian during the Jesus Movement of the 1970's you may have seen (some may say subjected to) films such as A Thief in the Night or The Mark of the Beast. The basic premise of these movies was to show us Christians banding together to stand against the Anti-Christ, predicted in the book of Revelations, as he rises to power. Although some may hold a nostalgic sentimentality for these "youth group movie night" favorites, they are largely derided now as the pinnacle in "End Times" cheesiness.

(I remember coming out of the movie A Distant Thunder as a 14 year old determined never to take "the mark of the Beast" even if it meant getting my head chopped off)

Even newer installments in Christian apocalyptic film making such as the Left Behind series showed that there was an untapped market for Christian films that did not star the Anti-Christ.

Anyhow, Tammy and I were flicking through the channels about 6 months ago and one of the Christian stations had taken a break from its marathon of talking heads to show a feature film called Hidden Secrets. It was starring John Schneider (Dukes of Hazzard & Smallville) as well as a number of other celebrities famous enough to know we had seen them before...we just couldn't remember their names. The movie was surprisingly good centering on a number of friends coming back together after the suicide of their friend and youth pastor. The group has to deal with a number of their own issues during the process...think a Christian's version of The Big Chill.

Afterwards I researched the production company that produced the movie which turned out to Pureflix, a Christian entertainment company and one of its founding partners David A.R. White. The son of a Christian pastor, White decided not to follow in his father's footsteps and go into ministry but to up and move to Hollywood to become an actor. (Which resonated with me as I did the opposite in 1989 when I gave up moving to Hollywood to be an actor for going into ministry)

White has gone on now to produce, direct, write, and star in a number of Christian themed movies . On our trip to the States this last summer I bought a handful of these films on DVD including one we just watched this week called What If? starring Kevin Sorbo (Hercules) & Kristy Swanson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Its the classic story of an angel (played by John Ratzenberger) who shows a selfish man the life he could have had with a few better choices.

As parents with a teenager its a relief to watch a movie with a good story, acting, and humor that doesn't, without warning, take a sudden turn into the gutter. So check out some of these movies...the more people that watch, the more a message is sent that there is a market for movies with a message.

Belief - o - Matic

2011-08-22T21:44:00.003+08:00

On my brother's blog he posted the results of an online test at Beliefnet that matches your beliefs with a number of different religions. I was curious and although the nuance of some of the questions left some areas of confusion, I tried to answer the questions as honestly as possible. Here are my results:

Not surprisingly 100% of my beliefs match those of mainline conservative protestant. Whats fun though is to see what percentage of beliefs come after it. I was surprised that my next closest was Orthodox Quaker?? # 3 was Mormon?? Mmmmmmmmm

Check out the test here and then let me know your results.

Hong Kong divided on Permanent Residency for Domestic Helpers

2011-08-18T17:24:00.004+08:00

If you live in Hong Kong you know the hot political topic de jour is the debate on whether Permanent Residency and Right of Abode should be extended to imported domestic helpers. Although the Hong Kong Constitution (The Basic Law) dictates in Article 24 that Permanent Residence can be obtained

"by Persons not of Chinese nationality who have entered Hong Kong with valid travel documents, have ordinarily resided in Hong Kong for a continuous period of not less than seven years and have taken Hong Kong as their place of permanent residence before or after the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region"

policy rules have denied foreign domestic helpers ( primarily from Indonesia and the Philippines) who come on said contract from obtaining Permanent Residency status after the obligatory 7 years.

However, then comes along little Evangeline Banao Vallejos, a Filipino who has been serving as a domestic helper in Hong Kong for the last 25 years, (or for history geeks, since Sir Edward Youde was Governor) and says she'd like to apply for Permanent Residency.

Mmmmmmm......

Now advocacy groups are lining up on both side of the argument. Supporters say that if these women toil away for years of cleaning our houses, walking our dogs, and raising our children why shouldn't they be rewarded with the right to stay like any other people group.

Detractors such as Joseph Law who heads up an association for the employers of domestic helpers says, "Almost all our members are against granting abode rights to foreign domestic helpers Our government does not have enough medical, educational, housing and social welfare resources for domestic helper immigrants and Hong Kong people."

Such arguments are worth considering since estimates suggest that about 100,000 domestic helpers would be eligible to apply for Permanent Residency and if they all brought family members with them the total could be as much as 400,000. Whether such a large amount could actually emigrate to the city is highly doubtful however given the high cost of living in Hong Kong.

But one may also wonder whether racism plays any part in people's thoughts on the subject. I think its important to remember that in many countries and at various times the Chinese have occupied a similar "outsider" position seeking to gain recognition and acceptance for hard work in a new land.

Consider that between 1950 and 1970 more than 2,000,000 Mainland Chinese refugees came to Hong Kong under the British government's very liberal "Touch Base" policy. Essentially any Mainland Chinese that could make it to Immigration Tower and register became a resident of Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Government was hardly prepared at that time to absorb such a large amount of people...and yet they did and Hong Kong is the better for it.

At one time in America we had the Chinese Exclusion Act which ended the ability of Chinese to immigrate to United States. Americans were quite happy to have Chinese build rairoads, work the mines, and do other jobs they didn't want to do...but allow them to become Americans? Never!
Now that horrible episode in American history is cosigned to the waste bin of history and even this week the very first Chinese American, Gary Locke, assumes the role of U.S. ambassador to China. A fitting nail in the coffin of that hateful policy.

In 1996 Australian Member of Parliment, Pauline Hanson began complaining about the large amount of Chinese immigration to Australia and claimed her country was being "swamped by Asians". The Hong Kong community (and the International community) was rightfully indignant and the government was even considering deterring Hong Kong University students from applying to universities there if that was their attitude. I remember Hong Kong Chinese friends that were furious at the political accusations directed at them by the "land down under". Cooler heads prevailed ultimately but do certain members of the Hong Kong community really want to parrot Pauline Hanson and use scaremongering tactics suggesting that Hong Kong would be overrun with Filipinos and Indonesians?

I think Hong Kong has a right to determine for itself who becomes a Hong Konger...and who doesn't. But its a debate that should be decided by Hong Kong people and ruled by through their courts. For that reason I would disagree with people like Rita Fan Hsu Lai-Tai and Elsie Leung Oi-sie who have suggested bypassing the Hong Kong Courts and going straight to Beijing for a ruling. (People like them don't like to use the courts unless they know what the ruling will be in advance). To do so would seriously undermine Hong Kong autonomy.

Part of living under the Rule of Law is sometimes its messy. Under the Law people become equal...and thats a very scary proposition for many.

Video Games, Porn, and The Demise of Guys

2011-08-16T12:32:00.005+08:00

Just finished watching a fascinating TED talk by Philip Zimbardo about the struggles men face entitled The Demise of Guys. Turns out that all of those hours in front of a computer video screen are really bad for people in general and boys specifically.

Consider first these statistics from the talk:

Boys are 30% more likely to drop out of school
Girls outperform boys at every level from elementary school through graduate programs (There is a 10% differential in the area of BA & Graduate degrees awarded)
Two thirds of students in Special Ed. remedial programs are boys
Boys are 5 times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls

Zimbardo goes on to give his suggestion that these increasingly alarming figures are the result of over stimulation and addiction to the internet resulting in what he refers to as Social Intensity Syndrome. He says it is

" a social awkwardness like you're a stranger in a foreign land. They don't know what to say, they don't know what to do, especially one-on-one with the opposite sex. They don't know the language of face contact, the verbal and non-verbal set of rules that enable you to comfortably be able to talk to someone else, listen to someone else."

The difficulty with the internet and long term usage which boys are more prone to than women is that it creates arousal addiction. Unlike drug addiction where you just want more, Zimbardo explains that arousal addiction means you always need something different.

Consider these further statistics:

The average boy by the time he is 21 will have played more than 10,000 hours of video games (most of that in isolation)
The average boy watches 50 porn clips a week on the internet. The American porn industry is the fastest growing industry in America
For every 400 Hollywood movies made there are 11,000 pornographic movies produced

When one considers that porn is available at a finger touch from any computer, iPad, or cell phone you realize why more and more men are forgoing the complexities of building real relationships of love with women for the quick thrill of a imitation erotic moment. Cindy Gallop says,

"Men no longer know the difference between making love and doing porn."

At the end of the talk Zimbardo laughs off the fact that he doesn't have a solution, he's just brings the problem to light...

... but I do have a solution.

The Grace of God that comes through Jesus Christ. Romans 3: 21 says: "This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.... and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

Once Christian men grasp that they are really Sons of God and have taken on his righteousness the desire to view 50 porn clips a week on the internet will fade away!

Dylan Ratigan's Rant and President Obama's failed leadership

2011-08-12T13:38:00.003+08:00

There is a Shakespearean sentiment that is brewing within America. Republicans and Democrats alike have been completely ineffective in dealing with the economic crisis that is beginning to jeopardize, at least the perception, of America's place in the world and for that reason the American people seem to be unified in declaring " A Curse on both your Houses" towards their elected representatives.

That sentiment was expressed admirably (and quite passionately) by MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan where he exploded in a video clip that has gone viral on the internet:

Those of you that follow Beyond the Pale know that I have tried to be a Republican that refrains from bashing President Obama simply because he exists. In fact I often take a bit of heat from my GOP cohorts for not seeing past his nice guy, family loving, reasonable mannerisms smokescreen to the Kenyan born, socialist / fascist anti-Christ he obviously is...at least to them.

But I gotta say it... America needs a leader right now and President Obama just ain't doin what needs to be done.

When President Reagan talked about America being the greatest country on Earth and that our best days were ahead of us he meant it. It oozed out of the very fiber of his DNA and we all caught what he had. Like the classic line from When Harry Met Sally we looked at the Gipper on TV and said, "we'll have what he's having."

When President Obama talks about American greatness however it seems like its something he knows you want him to say and although he'd like to help, well...you see... his hands are tied.

I wrote in 2008 that one of my fears of Obama was that we were electing another Jimmy Carter. Carter was a nice guy but an ineffective President who created a depressed state of affairs for America. Likewise, Obama has that nice guy thing which really helped get him elected (as did Carter) but is increasingly demonstrating the lack of ability to lead the American people with any sense of conviction or urgency.

Mike Barnacle on the MSNBC show Morning Joe says it best in this short clip where he seems perplexed and frustrated by Obama's apparent inability to say and do what needs to be done:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

For all of our sakes, lets hope the President and the Congress get their acts together soon...

USA Trip 2011: New Orleans Lousiana & Boulder Colorado

2011-08-10T16:04:00.001+08:00

Just got back from a couple weeks in the United States. When Tammy and I used to visit the States in the 1990's, we split the time between Detroit (my home town) and Louisiana (Tammy's home state). Now though our years in Boulder Colorado has thrown another destination into the mix and with the time I had to be away from work limited, something (Detroit) had to get cut.

Had a great time catching up with family and friends. Some of the highlights included:

The National World War 2 Museum: My dad and mom came down from Detroit to spend a week with us in New Orleans with Tammy's family. My dad turned 70 during the visit so Gabriel came up with the idea of us "boys" taking "grandpa" to something we would all really like: The National World War 2 Museum which you think would be located in Washington DC but is actually to be found in New Orleans Louisiana. It was the PERFECT birthday present for my dad; to walk with his son and grandson through an

amazing display and multimedia presentation of both the European and Pacific theaters of war. On top of that there is an amazing 4D movie, Beyond all Boundaries, narrated by Tom Hanks that should be mandatory viewing for all Americans. What is it about Tom Hanks and WW2 that makes me fight the impulse to stand up and salute?

White Water Rafting in Colorado: My friend Tre had the good idea for his boys and Gabriel and I to go on a daylong white water rafting trip during our time in Boulder Colorado. Actually, we drove about 2 hours west into the Rocky Mountains to the town of Buena Vista and from there hooked up with the Buffalo Joes rafting company for a trip down the Arkansas River through Brown Canyon. We spent the day shooting rapids, diving off rock outcroppings, and enjoying some of the most beautiful scenery God felt fit to place on Earth. For lunch our guides cooked us the most delicious steak, along with corn on the cob and salad right alongside the river. Incredible!

A Colorado Rockies Game at Coors Field: Just before I returned to Hong Kong I had, what is for me, the cherry on top of the dessert; a baseball game at Coors Field. When we lived in Boulder, we spent many a summer night at Coors Field watching the Colorado Rockies. I love baseball and would joke that in going to Coors Field I was visiting "my other church." When Gabriel was a young child he would play on the children's jungle gym while I kept an eye on him, and the game, from the left field foul line. My game last week was wonderful and the highlight was as I was holding little Ethan George in my arms wearing his little # 2 Tulowinski Colorado Rockies t-shirt, the cameraman caught his cuteness and broadcast us on the giant Jumbotron for 40,000 fans to see. It was quite a night.

Some other highlights:

Teaching Gabriel, along with his grandpa and Uncle Trent, how to shoot a gun for the first time
Hanging out with my brother and his family who trekked 10 hours from Salt Lake City to spend a day with us.
Eating Chipotle Mexican Grill burritos
Cajun Fish Fry with Tammy's family in Louisiana
Going with Tammy up to Flagstaff Mountain overlooking Boulder with breakfast burritos and coffee like we did when we lived there
Spending quality time with our church friends in Boulder while drinking Friar Smith's Agent Orange I.P.A.

Spending 3 hours on the tarmac as United maintenance crews tried to fix our plane before my flight to Hong Kong. They were unable to and I spent the night, courtesy of United Airlines, in San Francisco

Well, now I'm back in Hong Kong while Tammy and the boys still have ANOTHER WEEK in Colorado. Yes, one of us has to get back to work...can you guess which one?

The Space Shuttle's Final Voyage

2011-07-11T12:04:00.007+08:00

Last Friday the space shuttle Atlantis made its final launch ending 30 years of a program that has seen more than its fair share of success and tragedy.

For me, I can't believe its been 30 years since a 14 year old Steve convinced his parents to let him stay home from school so I could watch not only the maiden launch, but all the lead up commentary and excitement. In fact, we didn't have a VCR yet (it was 1981) so I taped the launch on an audio tape recorder and would listen and re-listen to all the analysis and the launch over and over again. John Young and Bob Crippen were the first shuttle astronauts and my friend Tom and I would wear flight sunglasses and refer to each other as "Crip" as Young did to Crippen.

Young and Crippen 1981

At 14, I was a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol and was pretty convinced that I would go to the U.S. Air Force Academy to become a fighter pilot and then when NASA heard what a great pilot I was, apply to be an astronaut. I even figured out that we would be heading towards Mars around 2005 and I would be just the right person and of just the right age to command the first manned spaceflight to another planet.

Ok, things didn't quite turn out that way... for me or for America's space program.

Young and Crippen today

Somehow the dream of the space shuttle making space flight routine and safe never quite materialized and the bold mission of exploring strange new worlds got bogged down into ferrying supplies, satellites, and astronauts into low earth orbit.

(Insert the sound of America's collective yawn here)

However, the space shuttle is one of the most sophisticated pieces of equipment ever developed and the research and technology it has been responsible for will help us into the next stage of manned space flight. NASA has stated they are looking to concentrate now on deep space missions with the hope of establishing a permanent moon base as well as a manned trip to Mars.

OK America, it's quite a daring vision and darn near impossible to achieve.....so when do we go?

Where are you (really) from?

2011-07-08T16:34:00.014+08:00

As a Westerner living in Hong Kong one of the questions I get asked on a regular basis is, "So, where are you from?"

This question will be asked at dinner parties, church functions, the workplace, and nearly any other activity where at least one other person is involved. The cosmopolitan nature of Hong Kong means you have a lot of people "from" somewhere else and the question just seems to roll out when you first meet a new acquaintance right alongside of "So, what do you do?"

The "Where are you from?" question has become a lot harder for me to answer as the years roll by. When I first moved to Asia more than 20 years ago I would always answer, "I'm from Detroit." It made sense then but as I haven't lived in Detroit since 1990 am I really still, "From Detroit."

So where am I "from"? Well here are some contenders and why:

Detroit Michigan USA: (Birth - 1990) City of my birth and still very dear to my heart. Its where I was raised and gave me the Mid -West American values I like to think have shaped me somewhat into the person I am today. The family moved to the suburbs when I was 8 and I experienced a wonderful childhood there in the 1970's and '80s with great friends and great memories. To this day I'm still a Detroit Tigers, Red Wings, and (sigh) Lions fan!

Hong Kong: (1990 -2000, 2009-Present) I arrived in Hong Kong in 1990 for 5 months and stayed nearly 10 years. I met my wife here and both of my sons were born here. A formative part of my adult life was established in this city. I have had the privilege of experiencing Hong Kong both as a territory of Britain and then later as a Special Administrative Region of China.

Boulder Colorado USA: (2000 - 2008) Our years in Boulder were not always easy but they were special. It was the formative years for Gabriel and he is still quick to say he is "from Boulder". Within Boulder though we have dear friends, a dear church family, and many dear memories.

We briefly lived in Qingdao China in 2008 and Gabriel would have a little fun whenever Chinese people would ask where we were from. He would say, "From Hong Kong" often eliciting stunned reactions from the questioners. There is a certain expectation based on a person's ethnicity of where they are "really" from. I know when I have attended conferences where my name tag will say I'm a participant from Hong Kong but people would subtly try to find out where I was "really" from.

Which had me wondering; "Are white people allowed to come "from" Hong Kong?"

I realize now in America the sensitivity some people have when other people try to categorize where they are from. For example we tend to assume a person of Hispanic origin is "really" from" Mexico or other South American country when they were very likely to have been born and led their whole lives in the States.

I remember once when I was working in Colorado how I asked a hotel guest, who I recognized with a very distinct Singaporean (Singlish) accent, where he was from.

"Chicago" he replied.

He didn't elaborate and I was disappointed as I am quite familiar with Singapore and wanted to talk a bit with him about it but he said, "Chicago" in a way that indicated he didn't want it challenged...so I didn't. But deep down I wanted to know where he really was from.

My children are Americans but born in Hong Kong. Are they from America...Hong Kong... or both? Recently I was chaperoning a school trip overseas with some of our students. As we were entering the customs area there are electronic booths for Hong Kong residents allowing them to insert their I.D. card and thumb print and not have to enter the long immigration lines. One of the Hong Kong Chinese students laughed and said, "Ha, Mr. Hackman now we get to go through here but you must go down there," indicating toward the long lines at the immigration counters.

The students inserted their cards and walked through. I smiled and inserted my card placing my thumb on the scanner. The metal gates opened up and I "departed" Hong Kong.

Watching this, the student's mouth dropped open and she asked in bewilderment. "Mr. Hackman, how did you do that?"

"You do know I am from Hong Kong as well...right?"

"But ...you are a foreigner."

"I may be a "foreigner", I answered, "but I was living in Hong Kong since before you were born."

So where am I from? Maybe the best answer is "lots of different places" or maybe Larry Norman said it best when he sang, "This world is not my home...I'm just passin' through"

"Planking" in Australia

2011-07-06T16:14:00.005+08:00

I was surprised a couple weeks ago when my 13 year old son Gabriel came bounding into my office, dove onto my couch and just laid there face down pinning his arms flush against his side with his feet pointed out.

"Do you know what I'm doing Papa?" he asked.

A few thoughts came to mind but I held my tongue and said, "Nope."

"Its called planking...and everyone is doing it."

Now when teenagers say "everyone" obviously a few qualifiers come to mind. Does "everyone" mean:

* your geeky friends
* your class
* your school
* 13 year olds in general across the universe

I mean is the Dahli Lamma doing it? Is Betty White planking now?

Turns out my 44 year old social circles just aren't "with it" anymore as apparently everyone is planking. And do you know where planking is REALLY popular?...

Australia

Yep, the Land Down Under which gave us other notable cultural curiosities like Crocodile Dundee, Yahoo Serious, Shrimps on a Barbie and Aussie Rules Football is now out on the cutting edge of relevance with this new export to the world...Planking!

Apparently the idea is not only to "assume the position" but to do it in the most creative and public place possible, get a picture of it and then post it to Facebook. It seems there are contests with people trying to outdo the "plank" of a friend or co-worker.

Anyhow, I may have to give the "plank" craze a miss but when I saw the Youtube clip I have included, I had to give it a post.

Todd Helton's 2000th Game

2011-07-02T07:38:00.002+08:00

Todd Helton is my favorite baseball player currently still playing and I just wanted to do a shout out that today he hit the milestone of playing in his 2000th Major League ball game. Let me say that again...

His TWO THOUSANDTH game!!

Two thousand times running onto a field nearly every red blooded American kid dreams of running on. Which also translates into going to bat 7139 times, striking out 1008 times, 2308 hits, 1273 Runs Batted In, and (ouch) being hit by a pitch 54 times. Multiple years he has been an All Star, Golden Glove, and Silver Slugger

Whats even more impressive is in an era of big money and free agency he has done it all on the same team; The Colorado Rockies. In fact, of the literally tens of thousands of baseball players who have played in Major League Baseball he is only the 54th ball player to play that long with a single ballclub.

Helton struggled last year with a degenerative back ailment. The lifetime .326 hitter ended the 2010 season with a disappointing .256 and just 8 home runs. Speculation was raised on whether the Colorado fan favorite may retire at the age of 37. But Helton, whose contract with the Rockies runs through the 2013 season, wants to finish his career on his own terms. Rising to the challenge, he has silenced his detractors going into the All Star break with a .306 batting average, 14 doubles and 9 Home Runs.

Usually when I see a hitter with a full count I feel sorry for the hitter. When I see Helton with a full count, I feel sorry for the pitcher. Watching him bat is always a pleasure as he has an uncanny ability to wait a pitcher out, put some stick on the ball on a bad pitch, and just plain make a play happen.

He also is very "old school" in his approach to game. He hustles on and off the field and has set an example for his teammates for years. He said once that he was taught in Little League that you always had to run while on the play field; that you couldn't "walk" on and off between innings. That mindset, coupled with his active Christian faith, has served to lead his team against the odds to a 2007 World Series appearance.

Todd's not done yet and I, and many Colorado fans, look forward to watching him at Coors Field and who knows, maybe another "Rocktober" season or two.

Movie Review: X-Men: First Class

2011-06-27T10:13:00.002+08:00

I don't usually do reviews of movies like X-Men First Class. Not to say I don't enjoy typical summer popcorn entertainment as much as the next guy but if I'm honest, I had figured I would catch this installment of the X-Men franchise on DVD when it came out.

But Tammy and I were watching the BBC news before church on Sunday morning and a movie review and interview with James McAvoy, who plays the mutant leader Charles Xavier, came on. I hadn't realized that the new movie was a period piece set in 1960's Cold War America and that McAvoy would be assuming the younger version of the role Patrick Stewart played in the original 3 movies of the franchise.

Now, I'm a sucker for movies set in the '60's. Besides the fact that it was the decade that brought yours truly into the world, the style of the time mixed with the US-Soviet paranoia makes for a fantastic film backdrop. No cell phones, internet, or Facebook. Just good old fashioned CIA-KGB espionage with guys wearing cool horn rimmed glasses.

Anyhow, the reason I'm doing a short post on the movie is because it so surpassed my expectations. The four of us (yes Ethan was there) caught the 3:00 showing at Elements Mall and half way through I leaned over to Gabriel & Tammy and said, "This one is much better than the first movies." To which they both nodded.

I'm not going to go into all the details but James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender's versions of a young Charles Xavier and Erick Lensherr (Magneto) surpassed even those of their more distinguished predecessors, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen respectively. Watching the blossoming friendship between the two knowing that they will end up becoming mortal enemies is one of my favorite plot devices. Smallville used it so successfully when it built up the Lex Luthor / Clark Kent feeling of brotherhood only to feel, as the viewer, the internal turmoil personally when you see it disintegrate. X-Men First Class surpasses expectations because it's focus is on these two and their love / hate relationship. Super powered fights and special effects were secondary to the feeling of a Shakespearean tragedy that was unfolding on screen before your very eyes.

And again, the 60's motif was another key element. What could be more '60's than having Xavier & Magneto playing a game of chess in an English mansion next to a roaring fire while sipping martinis in their turtleneck sweaters? They even segwayed the story into the Cuban Missle Crisis. Superb!

Oh, and I can't finish this post without mentioning Kevin Bacon. When is this guy going to get an Oscar? I mean, no he won't get one for X-Men First Class, but the guy brings his A-game to every film he's in.

Anyhow, get out to see X-Men: First Class...its well worth it!

"Big Brother, Little Brother" comment riles Vietnam in the South China Sea

2011-06-21T08:54:00.014+08:00

The potential for conflict in the South China Sea is heating up. While American forces continue to concentrate on Afghanistan and the 40 or 50 al qaeda members still left there, more ominous issues in the Pacific region are developing.

Last week Chinese fishing boats allegedly attempted to cut the cables of Vietnamese gas and oil exploration vessels. China lays claim to roughly 90% of the South China Sea and responds that it is simply exercising its jurisdiction despite the fact that the incident occurred within the Exclusive Economic Zone of Vietnam recognised under International Maritime Law.

China has been using these "fishing boats" on a regular basis in an attempt to enforce its claim to a number of island chains supposedly full of untapped oil and natural gas. Vietnam has responded by holding live fire navel maneuvers off its coast near the disputed region in an escalating show of force that is designed to highlight its view on the matter.

As various foreign affairs experts weigh in on the geo-politics of the dispute one particular comment, made by Mainland born academic Wang Hanling recently, has grabbed the headlines. In response to Vietnam's use of naval drills in the area he says,

"If the big brother bullies the younger brother it is not good and is something that should not happen, [but] if the younger brother challenges or bullies the older brother, it's just ridiculous."

This comment demonstrates the gulf in understanding between the West and China in regards to foreign affairs. The West wants debate on territorial disputes to center on aspects of Internationally recognized maritime law. China in contrast tends to see its role in International relations, particularly in Asia, as a paternalistic father that will deal favorably with its children, or in this case "little brother" provided they display proper filial piety or "proper relationship" in keeping with the Confucian view of the world.

One could only imagine what would happen if President Obama reacted to trade issues with Canada with speeches suggesting that "Little brother" Canada needed to be less belligerent to its "Big Brother" if it wanted to stay in favor within the family. While this line of reasoning seems peculiar to Western audiences, it is a way of looking at the world held by a country that is quickly becoming a regional, if not yet a global, superpower.

This Sinocentric view of International relations held by China, while largely ignored by the West in past decades, will have to be taken more seriously as the Middle Kingdom expands economically and militarily in South-East Asia. Long held International laws are chafed at by a China that had no say in their creation and thus feel less bound by their stipulations.

The United States needs to keep its eye on the ball. As a global player with no territorial claims in the area its role as peace broker is needed now more than ever. The smaller countries of the region are looking to America for leadership on the matter. The last thing they need is an America that is war weary, debt ridden, and withdrawn.

Macau trip post lost!

2011-06-13T12:54:00.006+08:00

Had one of those crazy computer glitches last week. I'd been on a roll trying to keep up with the blog posts here at Beyond the Pale and a few days back I spent about an hour writing a post on my recent trip to Macau. It included anecdotes of a good time spent there as well as a little history of the 500 year old former Portuguese colony for those readers not from Hong Kong or China.

Alas, when I had the photos correct and the post just the way I wanted it, I hit "Publish Post"...and then whole computer froze! A sudden panic turned to relief thinking that blogpost saves regularly and the loss, if any, should be minimal. Re-booting the computer however proved otherwise. For some reason, nothing was saved...and for those of you saying, "Did you try such and such" the answer is "Yes, I did...and it didn't help"

My wonderful blog post detailing our stay at the Hard Rock Hotel, exotic dinner at Fernandoes, and the Vegas style extravaganza show "House of the Dancing Water" was forever lost into the digital abyss. The thought of trying to recreate it was too depressing a thought to contemplate.

Actually, I was furious... but rather than pounding on my desk like a madman and using language that my mother would disapprove of, I went to the gym and had an amazing work out. Now after avoiding this blog for the last 5 or 6 days....I'm back! Here are the pictures from the post you never got to see

Book Review: Rob Lowe's "Stories I Only Tell My Friends"

2011-06-01T11:37:00.008+08:00

I'm a sucker for a good showbiz memoir. Those of you that know me well also know that a move to Hollywood and an attempt at movie stardom was the road ALMOST taken.

Yeah, in 1988 I was saving up for the big move to Los Angeles and often regale my friends in Detroit on what my Oscar acceptance speech was going to be one day or what quirky anecdote I was going to share with David Letterman when I was asked to be a guest on his show.

Alas, Jesus had other plans for yours truly and I took all that money I'd saved and headed out to Asia to be a missionary. I remember sitting in the parking lot of Burger King one day and saying to my friend Dave, "Should I move to L.A. and become a movie star or to Asia to be a missionary?" Dave looked up from his Whopper, wiped his mouth and replied, "Steve, only you could be contemplating choices at such opposite ends of the spectrum." In the end, the Holy Spirit got His way and overseas I went

Of course I remember at one point laying on a bamboo floor trying to sleep in the hot Borneo heat thinking of all my L.A. money I'd shot to come there and saying to myself, "What in the hell have I just done?"

Anyhow, back to Rob Lowe and his new memoir, Stories I Only Tell My Friends. In it Lowe has delivered an insightful, intelligent, and very grounded look back at a career that has had both highs (The West Wing) and lows (dancing with Snow White at the Academy awards.)

Because of his almost preternatural good looks Lowe can sometimes be erroneously dismissed as a "pretty boy". This is unfortunate because what Stories instead reveals is a man with a sharp mind and a keen insight into the human condition. For instance, when relating some of the tragedy to befall a number of friends and aquaintances living in the hedonistic counter culture of mid-1970's Malibu he states:

"To be counter to the culture, you are by definition willully and actively ignoring the culture, i.e. reality. And when you ignore reality for too long you begin to feel imune to, or above, the gravitational pull that binds everyone else. You are courting disaster"

Stories is filled with these observations and the former Brat Packer seems to both relish his successful situation as well as critiquing the absurdity of the system that got him there in the first place.

Lowe also has the uncanny "Forrest Gump" like quality of somehow connecting with every major person or event of the last 30 years. For example as a 14 year old "nobody" his step father's sister is doing some technical work on a "Cheesy western" Sci-fi type movie. She says it's stupid but if he wants to come down and watch some filming he can. He goes to the warehouse where they are shooting and he gradually reveals that this "cheesy-western" Sci-fi movie is in fact Star Wars. Whether he is meeting Liza Minelli, being chased on Halloween night by a baseball bat wielding Martin Sheen, or hanging out in history class with this funny kid sitting next to him named Robert Downey Jr., you are left thinking, "This guy has a lot of good stories to tell."

Lowe also seems to be aware of his audience. This is no trashy Hollywood movie star "tell all". He doesn't attempt to hide some of his bad choices but when addressed, are done tastefully in a manner that suggests that he has written this not just as a movie star, but as a husband and father.

Anyhow, I literally can't put the book down and recommend it highly to readers of Beyond the Pale. For someone who is fascinated with movies, story, and the creative process, I find myself enthralled with Lowe's tales. He's a guy whose been around a long time, has seen a lot, and finally has sat down and wrote about it. Ok, full disclosure. When I first saw St. Elmo's Fire in 1985, I came this close to getting an earring like his character Billy had in the film. Yep, it was the 80's and we did weird things.

In the end I find myself wishing I knew this guy personally just so I could hear some of these stories first hand over a nice meal and a cold beer. Guess I'll just have to settle for the book...

United States & United Kingdom: Special & "Essential"

2011-05-30T10:35:00.007+08:00

President Obama has just returned from a State visit to the United Kingdom where he and Prime Minister David Cameron cemented the ongoing "special relationship" between the two countries and then took it up a notch noting that it is no longer only special but essential.

President Obama has often been criticised as being a "Pacific" president who is more focused on Asia than America's traditional allies in Europe. With today's emerging economies in the Pacific region, a focus on Asia is important until one remembers that the U.K. still is America's # 1 trading partner with total import and export totalling over 100 billion dollars annually. Couple that with the shared history, language, and culture and it becomes very important that the President spend some time in Mother England keeping the special relationship "special".

Although the relationship has been strong since the 19th century (forgetting the War of 1812 when the Red Coats burned down the White House) it was Winston Churchill who coined the phrase "special relationship." Since then the relationship has had its ups (Thatcher & Reagan) & its downs (Kennedy & Macmillian) depending on the President & Prime Minister at the time.

However, despite testing and strains at times the two allies have had a diplomatic relationship almost unprecedented in history.

Said Prime Minister Thatcher, "There is a union of mind and purpose between our peoples which is remarkable and which makes our relationship a truly remarkable one. It is special. It just is, and that’s that"

To which President Reagan responded, "Prime Minister, the United States and the United Kingdom are bound together by inseparable ties of ancient history and present friendship"

For myself, I remember the pride and solidarity I felt when President Bush, while addressing Congress just after the attacks of September 11, publicly thanked Prime Minister Tony Blair for Britain's unwavering support with us at that time. He declared, "America has no truer friend than Great Britain. Once again, we are joined together in a great cause. I'm so honored the British prime minister has crossed an ocean to show his unity with America. Thank you for coming, friend."

It is for that reason that I am happy that the present leaders of the two countries have cemented the bonds that have proved so valuable to each country for more than 200 years. A relationship both "special" and "essential."

How well did I understand grace before I understood grace?

2011-05-27T05:52:00.002+08:00

My friend Paul over at Escape to Reality had recently thrown out 10 years of sermon notes because of his realization that he had not been preaching God's Grace to people even when he honestly thought he had. So when Paul was recently asked by a mutual friend about "how much he understood grace before he understood grace"...he sat down and penned the following response. What follows is a Holy Spirit inspired explanation of the Grace of God.

Look down at some of the things he lists below and see how many you can identify with:

How well did I understand grace before I understood grace?

Have you ever seen those Magic Eye 3D pictures that look random at first glance but then reveal a hidden picture? Maybe there’s a group of you looking and someone says, “Wow – look at that! It’s a ship!” Then another person sees it and now they’re both describing the picture to you. But try as you might you just can’t see it. They try to encourage you. “Look – it’s right there. It’s huge!” But still you can’t see it. You’re starting to think there’s no picture at all and they’re all deluded when suddenly, revelation comes and a ship appears! If you’re like me and you’re usually the last person to see these things, you’ll no doubt embarrass yourself at this point by shouting, “I see it!”

That’s how it was for me with grace.

I knew people who looked into the Bible and saw radical grace but I didn’t. Sure, there were pockets of grace but there was a whole lot of other stuff as well. Then one day, revelation came and I saw Grace! He’s right there on every page and in every book! How can you miss Him? He’s huge! I now find myself reading old scriptures with new eyes and saying, “Look! This is speaking of Jesus! This is all about Him – I never saw this before.” Now that I’ve seen Him once I see Him everywhere. I was saved decades ago and I have always loved God with my whole heart. But when I got this revelation of His amazing grace, it was like being born again, again.

A friend recently asked me, “How well did you understand grace before you understood grace?” Here’s my answer: I thought I understood grace perfectly well. For as long as I can remember I’ve considered myself a testimony of His grace. But when Grace Himself came into focus, I was floored. I realized that I had barely understood grace at all. Looking back I can identify nine signs that showed I did not fully grasp the grace of God.

1. I understood that I was saved by grace but not that I was kept by grace

I had received Christ by faith and without doing a thing, but I was not continuing in Him by that same faith (Col 2:6). Although I would never have said it, I had taken out a little works insurance. Faith is a positive response to what God has done, but I liked to initiate things. And so my walk became “do, do, do,” rather than it’s “done, done, done.” There was no rest, only performance anxiety. There was always another meeting to lead, another plank of truth to teach, another stray sheep to gather. I thought this was normal. I could get excited about the idea of being saved and saving others, but I was not drawing from the wells of salvation with joy (Is 12:3). I was constantly stressed and I treated grace as grease for my engine.

2. I felt obliged to serve

Jesus had done everything for me, what would I do for Him? Of course I didn’t use the word “indebted” – that would’ve alerted me to the poverty of my theology – but much of what I did was motivated by a sense of obligation. I thus cheapened the exceeding riches of His grace (Eph 1:7) by trying to pay Him back for His priceless gift. Inevitably this shifted my focus from Him and His work to me and mine. Instead of being impressed by what He had done, I was trying to impress Him with what I was doing.

3. I motivated others using carrots and sticks

Because my own motives were screwed up it was inevitable that I would preach rewards and punishments to others. Do good, get good; do bad, get bad. At the same time as I was preaching against legalism I was putting people under law! My gospel was like an ash-tray – full of “buts”! God loves you but… Jesus died for you but… God’s gifts always came with a price to pay. But grace is free – you either receive it or reject it but the moment you start charging for it, you’ve missed it. There’s only one motive in the kingdom and that is love. The Son of Man didn’t come to threaten us, judge us, or scare us, but to demonstrate love (Rm 5:8). I no longer believe that evangelism means scaring the hell out of people. The good news that the world needs to hear is that God is good and He loves us. The new covenant of grace is the formal expression of His unfailing love for us (Is 54:10).

4. I saw myself as a servant rather than a son

My identity was in the things I did rather than in my Father. I saw myself as working for God (a noble cause!) rather than doing the works of God. I would not have said I was justified by what I did for I knew that grace and works don’t mix (Rms 11:6). Yet I was mixing grace with works like there was no tomorrow! But here’s the strange thing. Even though I preached servanthood more than sonship, whenever there was a crisis I was quick to relate to Him as Papa. It was only when I was strong and healthy that I was seduced by the religious need to do something for God. Happily, there were many crises!

5. I kept asking God to provide things that He’s already provided

I knew enough about grace to approach Him boldly in my hour of need, but I didn’t know that He has already given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3). If someone was sick I would ask for healing when I should’ve just healed them (Mt 10:8). I would ask for more faith instead of living by the faith of the Son of God (Ga 2:20). Like the prodigal’s older brother I felt that God would bless me as I did my part. I didn’t realize that I was already blessed, deeply loved, and highly favored. In my ignorance I wasted a whole lot of time doing a whole lot of nothing. I thought I was being active and fruitful but in reality I was passive and faithless. God had already come but there I was face down asking Him to come again.

6. I was more sin-conscious than Christ-conscious

Like many Christians I was afraid of sin (keep it out of the camp!) and I was not known as a friend of sinners. I defined sin as bad works only and I taught that the solution to sin was repentance. I had read that the grace of God teaches us to say no to ungodliness (Tit 2:12), but I wasn’t quite sure how that worked. So when preaching against sin I used inferior incentives like fear and punishment that led, at best, to temporary, will-powered changes in behavior. I emphasized what people must do (repent!) more that what God has already done (forgiven us!). I kept the focus on us when it should’ve been on Him and my preaching was powerless as a result. If anyone failed to experience victory over sin, I just figured they were unacquainted with God’s transforming grace – even though I had given them none.

7. I always tried to do the right thing

Someone under grace says, “I trust Him from start to finish. He will lead me in the right path” (Ps 23:3). But in subtle ways I preferred rules to relationship. What I craved were clear Biblical guidelines for living. I thought I was choosing good, but then so did Adam. We both had an independent spirit that led us to eat from the wrong tree. I felt particularly good when people came to me for guidance. I thought I was giving them wisdom when really I should just have got out of the way and taught them to lean on Jesus (Jn 10:27).

8. I had a stronger relationship with the written word than with the Living Word

I did not read the scriptures to find Jesus (Lk 24:27) but to learn, what should I do? I read indiscriminately and was often confused by scriptures that seemed to contradict each other. My solution was to go for balance: A little of this, a little of that, for all scripture is profitable. But by failing to filter what I read through the finished work of the cross, I unwittingly poisoned myself. I was mixing the death-dealing words of the law with the life-giving words of grace. Although I was zealous for the Lord, in truth I was lukewarm. I was neither under the stone-cold reality of the law nor walking in the red-hot heat of His unconditional love and grace.

9. I knew I was righteous, but I didn’t feel righteous

When I stumbled I would more readily confess my sins to God than allow the Holy Spirit to remind me of the gift of His righteousness to me (Jn 16:10). I knew I was a new creation (2 Cor 5:17), but in many ways I acted and spoke as if I was merely an improved creation. I thought honesty about my struggles was the key to getting more grace. But I probably would not have struggled so much in the first place if I had just learned to see myself as God sees me – redeemed, righteous, and holy.

I am convinced that grace comes by revelation. If you don’t yet see it this post may sound like the ramblings of a man who is unbalanced. (Thank God I am! I’m done with balance!) If you do see Grace, then right now you will be resonating like a tuning fork. So let me finish with a few words for those of you in the first group. Please be patient with those of us who are leaping for joy. Don’t walk away from the Magic Eye picture scowling, “I can’t see it, there’s nothing there.” Just keep looking! Grace really is standing right there in front of you. And He’s huge!

U.S.S. Carl Vinson steams into Hong Kong

2011-05-24T05:58:00.010+08:00

Ah, Americans, even when we're broke we can still throw a party and have the world come to it. Last night, the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Carl Vinson hosted a cocktail reception for a number of Hong Kong VIP's after arriving in the colony, er, I mean, Special Administrative Region over the weekend. The Carl Vinson of course has been made famous for being the ship that received the bullet riddled body of the late Osama bin Laden and then ceremoniously dumping it into the sea.

Apparently I am not yet VIP enough to secure an invitation to last night's event but my friend Francis and his wife did.

(Note to self: You are not jealous; you are happy for them :)

In fact my friend, being a professional chef, noted not the aircraft, but the chocolate chip cookies at the reception. He says via Facebook: "Seriously though, nobody has better chocolate cookies than the U.S. Navy... For all I know, they might be bringing them in. If so, they're better than a lot of freshly baked ones I've tried. Waaay better than Mrs. Fields."

Over the 4 day visit 7,000 sailors will descend on Hong Kong's shops, bars, and restaurants and word is they are forbidden to discuss with
anyone details of the Osama burial or even to indicate from where
on the ship his body was "dumped".

Anytime a U.S. carrier comes to Hong Kong it is a huge affair. They are too large to enter Victoria Harbor so they park just off Lantau Island and I usually get to see them from the ferry that takes us from our home to downtown. They are absolutely massive and I do admit to a surge of patriotism when you see something that impressive with an American flag waving from it.

As one local paper commented, the fact that it is parked off Lantau Island
puts it nearly within sight of Hong Kong Disneyland displaying a
combination of American "hard" and "soft" power in the world.

But if I'm honest, the thing I really care about is finding out how to get an invitation to the cocktail reception the next time a carrier group comes to town.

Social Media Meltdown: TED style

2011-05-23T05:46:00.002+08:00

Just saw this on TED! It's a great parody of our societies all consuming need to be connected online ALWAYS...and to share EVERYTHING with our social media "friends" most who we haven't seen since high school. Since I'm sharing it with you I realize I'm part of the societal psychosis

....plus it caters to my love for Broadway musicals! Enjoy!

Smallville: The Finale Review

2011-05-22T07:36:00.009+08:00

Last week's series finale of Smallville was a geekfest for all Superman fans young and old. After ten years of waiting, the little farm boy from Kansas ( by way of the planet Krypton) donned his suit, took to the sky, and became the Man of Steel.

For the Hackman clan, it was a big evening as we've been following the series for a while now. It's one of the few shows Tammy refuses to watch one week at a time. She generally insists on waiting till a whole season is available and then "inhaling" 24 episodes in over the course of a week on DVD. Surprisingly even though the show had been on for 10 years, we only started following it back in 2007. Being a bit of a Superman fan I avoided Smallville assuming they were going to do to Superman pretty much what the Twilight series did to the vampire genre; turn it into something only appreciated by teenage girls.

Besides Superman always has a strong moral center and in case you haven't noticed T.V. doesn't really do strong moral centers anymore. The idea of a teenage Clark Kent waking up in bed with a girlfriend and jumping up to throw his jeans on while he rushed off to school would have been more that my Superman sensibilities could have stomached.

And so I let the series pass... but in 2007 I was recovering from surgery and had to spend a couple weeks on my living room couch. A good friend sent me the first four seasons by mail to watch while I recovered and bingo, not only me, but Tammy and Gabriel were hooked.

Anyhow, the finale was, as I mentioned, a geekfest. Pretty much everything a Superman afficiando would be looking for was to be found. This whole season (spoiler alerts ahead) was focused on the 'darkness' covering the Earth and capturing the souls of men. Clark Kent finally realizes his destiny as the "Light" of the world and goes toe to toe with, essentially, Lucifer.

Mmmmm, a father from beyond the stars sends his son to Earth to be raised by adoptive parents. He is in constant contact communication with his "heaven" father, displays super powers, and when the moment is right, becomes the chosen one and savior of humanity.

Ring any bells?

Yeah, the Superman story always had the a strong Christ allegory. Director Bryan Singer admitted he intentionally fostered that image in 2006's Superman Returns and the writer's of Smallville carried on that tradition. When a resurrected Lex Luthor returns for a reunion "chat" with his old friend Clark Kent in the finale he says,
"they foretold of chosen savior , a light that would inspire this world out of darkness…you are the Light, Clark."

"You are the Light Clark"

The writers of Smallville had a strict, "no tights, no flights" policy. Essentially it was the story of Clark Kent's inner journey to become the hero he was meant to be and not the adventures of Superboy. But hey, we all know Man of Steel can fly so when it happened...it was pretty cool. While in combat during the final minutes of the finale, Darkside (the Lucifer character) knocks Clark across the room. As he is falling, there is a moment frozen in time and he's suddenly standing back at the Fortress of Solitude. His father Jor-El shows Clark all the trials he has been through in his life and we viewers got a look back at 10 seasons of series highlights all accompanied with inspiring orchestral music. Clark realizes that these trials prepared him for this moment and Jor-El tells him, "Your final trial is upon you, my son, you are ready...Now, seize your destiny."

Suddenly the moment reverts back to the action and Clark is no longer falling...he's flying! I kid you not, the three of us started clapping...we really are a family of geeks!

Clark finally becomes "Superman"

The finale finished showing Metropolis seven years in the future. Lois and Clark are working at the Daily Planet and preparing for their wedding. Suddenly someone yells that there is bomb in an elevator up town. Clark looks knowingly at Lois as (oh my God, can it be) the theme music made famous by the Christopher Reeve Superman movies begins building up. Clark tells Lois, "Tell the minister, I may be a few minutes late"

As he steps onto the roof of the building the crescendo of the Superman theme reaches its climax and, with an American flag waving in the background, Clark opens his shirt to reveal the the familiar "S" as it goes to credits and the show ends.

Whew!!! In the words of Nigel Tufnell, "this one went to "11"

I'm back... and some thoughts!

2011-05-20T06:16:00.003+08:00

I had made it a point at the beginning of this year that I would get much more frequent with my blog posts. I've come to like this little trafficked corner of cyberspace and enjoy the interaction with new friends as well. Though since the end of March I have have been traveling for business 4 weeks and in the intervening time I finished my University work to get my teaching certification. (My thoughts on that process are forthcoming). With those two issues pressing in plus the taking on of a new project at work (and a new baby at home) means I've been "crazy busy". So the thought of putting even more thoughts to paper, or computer screen, was unthinkable. In the last 7 weeks I've managed to travel to Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao, the earthquake area of Sichuan, and all across Greece (and no, contrary to what you may have heard, I was not in Pakistan doing anything a couple weeks ago :)

So...some thoughts on things that I would have blogged on had I been around:

* The Royal Wedding- I'm an unashamed Anglophile who remembers being about 14 years old when Charles & Diana were married. Our whole family got up at about 4:00 AM Detroit time to watch it together. The wedding of William & Kate was just as beautiful and, I suspect, will turn out much more successfully. As a family we went to a little reception at the home of some British friends of ours. We ate scones, cucumber sandwiches, and drank Earl Grey Tea (which admittedly gave way to red wine as the evening progressed). It was a fantastic event for Mother England so God Save the Queen!

* It appears that while the Royal Wedding was going on, President Obama was giving the order for Navy Seals & CIA para military to engage in an operation to eliminate Osama bin Laden. U.S. forces entered deep into Pakistan entered the house he was suspected to be in, found him, killed him, brought him back to a U.S. ship, performed a Islamic funeral and then dumped his bullet riddled body overboard into the sea. I don't usually celebrate the death of anyone and to perhaps say I "celebrated" would be an exaggeration...but I'm glad he's dead and I have no problem with how we did it. I'm against the death penalty so perhaps that makes me a hypocrite...but thats OK, I can live with it.

* This kind of is an add-on to the previous point but an issue I wanted to blog on. Do you think we can not invoke religion, and specifically Christianity, in every argument that has little to do with religion? I was seeing Facebook and news articles where the lines of argument started out on the legitimacy of U.S. actions in the death of Osama, meandered into the views of evangelical Christians, which eventually descended into the Old Testament, Leviticus, and homophobia. It's like 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon. Take an issue and somehow link it to homophobia in 6 degrees or less. I think debate on serious issues may be better served by not linking them to Leviticus!

Just some thoughts...oh, and I'm back

My Greek Trip Part Deux

2011-04-25T22:01:00.006+08:00

Santorini

Well, I had hoped to have some ongoing blog posts during my Greek trip BUT my power cord fried 3 days after I got to Greece and I was regulated to quick e-mail and Facebook updates at hotel computers and internet cafes. Anyhow...thought I would do a quick wrap up of the highlights:

Old Town on Corfu

* The Greek Islands were fantastic. We spent 3 nights on the Island of Corfu and then one night on Santorini. In its history Corfu has been ruled by the Greeks, the Turks, the Romans, the French, and the British...and it shows. Beautiful architecture from all of the above have made their mark making it a very cosmopolitan place. Santorini is almost so beautiful it is beyond words. Our tour guide informed us that Angelina Jolie has just bought a place there...and you can understand why.

Palm Sunday devotion

The cliff top Monastery

* We got to spend Palm Sunday visiting the the cliff top monasteries of Kalambaka. Huge rock outcroppings jut straight out of the earth in the most peculiar way and of course, the monks thought it would be a good idea to put monasteries up there. I can just see the builders back then going, "You want to build a monastery up THERE??"
But I got to lead a devotional for the students we brought on the trip on a balcony overlooking a steep cliff. I explained the importance and meaning of Palm Sunday and the reason for Christ's entry into Jerusalem that Passover week.

* Because it was Holy Week and Greek society is highly observant of Easter, every night when I retired to my hotel room there would be another classic Christian themed Easter movie. I fell asleep most nights to the cool sounds of Jesus of Nazareth ( Michael York's portrayal of John the Baptist is my all time favorite), The 10 Commandments, and Ben-Hur.

* Again...the FOOD...the FOOD...the FOOD!!! I really put on 2 Kilos this trip (which my wife immediately noticed when I arrived home). The trip we go on eschews cheap cafeteria or fast food. Every one of 3 meals a day were full of olives, cheese, bread, and meat. Yep, Tammy has me on protein shakes now.

Our hotel on Santorini!

Anyhow, I feel incredibly blessed to be part of this trip. Of course after being responsible for 27 students 24/7 for 2 weeks straight I think I need a vacation :)

My Big Fat Greek Weddi....I mean adventure! (Pt. 1)

2011-04-15T13:08:00.001+08:00

The Plaza in Corinth where Paul preached

Hi all, I'm writing this post from a little hotel in the village of Olympia where the first Olympic games were held in Greece. I'm on a 2 week tour of the country that is known "for being the "cradle of Democracy" with 27 students from our schools in Hong Kong and Shanghai. I'm pressed for time but wanted to update the blog so some thoughts:

* I fly a fair bit and can say Turkish Airlines is one of the best airlines I've ever flown. In economy class there were literally hundreds of TV shows, movies etc to watch on your personal screen. (It took me nearly 20 minutes to cycle through just the movie selections) For economy class the food was very tasty but the slam dunk for me was the fact that after they made the obligatory anouncement of no electronic devices during takeoff and landing...they ignored it. Deep down they just knew my 4 gig ipod was just not going to flummix the navigational system of a Airbus A350 that still smelled like new car.

* I am realizing I just LOVE the food of the Medditeranian cultures. In less than 12 months I have been to Turkey, Italy, and now Greece and although there are certainly differences in their cusines there are some commonalities that I have just fallen in love with. The salads, olives, breads, cheese....I swear after just 6 days I have eaten the equivilent of a whole lamb. This morning I had "ölive bread". How genius to take two of my favorite things, olives and bread, and put them together in a delicious mash-up. Of the cusines around the world, I think this culinary region is my favorite.

*It is awe inspiring to stand in places where so much history was made. The Acropolis, Mars Hill (where the Apostle Paul addressed the Athenians) and the stadium in Olympia where the first Olympic games were held. I particularly liked walking through the plaza of Corinth thinking this is where Paul preached and was persecuted.

Ooops the bus is leaving soon...this will have to be Part 1

"Roughing it" in China

2011-04-05T07:44:00.001+08:00

Just got back from a week travelling in China. I had the opportunity to go to a fairly remote area of central Sichuan that you may recall was struck by a devastating earthquake in 2008. The education foundation I work for helped rebuild a school in this area so we took a group of students from our schools in Beijing & Shanghai to go and do some service projects there. As you can tell from my last post, I enjoy the Rugby Sevens alot so it took a pretty noble cause to get me to leave Hong Kong during this time.

Now I knew I was going to be "roughing" it. This was a no frills trip to bless a poorer region of China and I told myself I was ready for it. Hey, I have spent over 1300 hours travelling by train crisscrossing China before, mostly on what is known as "hard sleeper" (hard beds stacked 3 high with six to a compartment), I have traveled across Borneo trekking in the jungle and sleeping on bamboo. I know how to "rough" it.

But if I'm honest, that was in my 20's and early 30's. In the last few years I've gotten a little "squishy". "Roughing it" these days pretty much means the outrage of staying in a hotel that doesn't have room service.

I knew I was in trouble when one of the other adults on trip asked where my sleeping bag was.
"Excuse me...sleeping bag?" I asked.
"Yes, didn't you see the e-mail that said we would need a sleeping bag on the trip"

Apparently I missed that memo.

So we had one night in the city of Chongqing before taking a three hour bus ride the next morning. I was assigned the corner section of floor and the local staff where we stayed was able to rustle up a couple of blankets for me so I didn't freeze. But sleeping on the floor of a clean room with spotless toilet was a King's Palace compared to what lay in store the next couple days.

"Nite John-Boy"

We arrived the next day at the primary school and it really was something. The people of the village (as opposed to the Village People) even came out to greet us as it seemed that a busload of foreigners suddenly arriving was not normative in these parts. All the boys were assigned to a single room with about 9 or 10 handmade bunks all up against one another, I'm told, for additional support. So there we were that night, all sleeping on wood planks only a foot or two away from one another. Laying there I couldn't help but envision myself on Walton's Mountain and had to restrain myself from giving a "Nite John-Boy" to a gang of people for whom the cultural reference would all be but lost.

The toilets were the real challenge. The men's loo was essentially 4 holes in the cement with no water flushing it away. Likewise for the urinal. Also there were no doors or walls (something we are hoping to address on subsequent trips) which for me was the real challenge. Having traveled throughout Asia for the last 20+ years I am used to less than ideal toilet situations, but they always at least offered a measure of privacy. I did not relish the thought of a student walking in on me while I was squatting over a hole doing "my business".

Even the sewer monster refused to visit...and no thats not water!

Fortunantly, my body was in agreement with my mind on this one and cooperated on Day One by shutting down all "bowel" systems. Day 2 was a different matter though and I began to feel a pressing need develop that was not going to wait for my return to civilization. I made a tactical decision...since sleeping on a wood plank in a room without heat doesn't make for a night of interrupted sleep, I used my 4:00 AM wake time to good use. Knowing the bathroom would be clear I slipped on my flip-flops, grabbed my torch, (flashlight for my American readers) and headed over to the bathrooms.

Even in the dark, I just had to follow the smell which even from the outside was overpowering. Walking into this place in the middle of a freezing cold night was pretty spooky. I had to stick the torch in my mouth to do the delicate balancing act that any foreigner using an Asian "squatty potty" is familiar with. As my light beam danced up and down creating shadows on the wall I couldn't help but think that some sewer monster was going to jump out of one of the other holes, whack me on the head, and drag me down to the underworld.

Apparently, even the sewer monsters were turned off by this particular toilet...

Our Policeman assigned to "protect" us.

Also in all my travels in China I have never needed to have a police escort. (Well, I take that back, there was another incident a few years back but thats for another blog post). Apparently the area in Sichuan where the 2008 earthquake occurred is a sensitive area. Because there has been negative stories about building conditions and the amount of people that died because of "dodgy" construction the Chinese government has closely monitored outsiders coming into the region. When I asked the guard (our assigned policeman) if I could go out he had to say no. After a little persistence he agreed but only if he could go to "protect" us. When operating in China you have to distinguish between the "real" reason for something and the "official" reason. Not making this distinction can lead to real frustration.

Although my point of this post was to talk about my "roughing it" I do want to mention that we were able to do some great service projects for the school. The kids were wonderful and so appreciative of our being there. We met one little 9 year old girl who lost her parents during the earthquake and is now being raised by friends in the village. She shared how she is happy again being able to go to the new school.

And the school staff went out of their way to accommodate us to the best of their ability. There are no showers at the school so the cooks heated water in the kitchen so we could wash a little in the evenings.

When I finally got back to a hotel room in Chongqing I saw the toilet and shower when I opened the door and never even minded that they didn't have room service.

Going to the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens

2011-03-26T07:20:00.001+08:00

Probably the biggest event in Hong Kong every year is the 3 day weekend extravaganza known as the Rugby Sevens. The "Sevens" competition is a scaled down rugby game where each team has only seven men and a game consists of 2 seven minute halves. 24 teams from countries around the world participate and with each game being only 14 minutes long...its fast and furious.

My first Sevens was back in 1994 when I won 2 sets of tickets for the weekend. A now defunct English Language newspaper (The Eastern Express) was offering a set of tickets for the person who could best write why they deserved them. With the upcoming Handover of Hong Kong back to China from Britain on everyone's mind I wrote a political tale involving defense of an innocent lady, Rugby Sevens tickets, and then China's Head of Hong Kong Affairs, Lu Ping. I was working for a Christian missionary organization back then and the manager sent me out on a errand for a computer thing-a-ma-jig. As I left I said rather cocky for all in the office to hear, "Oh, and the Eastern Express will be phoning to let me know I won my Rugby Sevens tickets" (We didn't have cell phones back then). From the computer store I called back to ask a question about my errand and the manager said, "Oh yeah, BTW, the Eastern Express did call after you left, and you did win Rugby Sevens tickets"

When I returned last year to live again in Hong Kong, I knew I wanted to take Gabriel to the Sevens but when it came around, he didn't seem that interested. Because tickets are not cheap, I didn't want to spend the money unless he really wanted to go. We ended up running into a friend on his way to the Sunday finals (he was skipping church...church attendance does take a dip during the Sevens weekend) and I was able to talk Gabriel into tagging along with him. Watching 8 hours of incredible nail biting Rugby that day surrounded by good friends, good conversation, beef pies and lots of cold...Coke Cola ;) turned Gabriel into a rugby fan.

Now I don't think I could NOT take Gabriel to the Rugby Sevens every year! Last night he was proudly wearing his South African Springboks jersey given to him by a good friend. Although I think he spends far to much time trying to figure out how he's going to sneak into the South Stands. The South Stands is at one end of the field where alcohol can be consumed in the seats and you have to be over 18 to sit. Its the most rowdy place where people are dressed up in costumes and enjoying their beer WAY to much! :)

The Sevens have become so popular that it is now becoming an Olympic sport. Thats one of the reasons I like it so much. Over a weekend you get to see nations from around the world play in what could almost be called a mini-World Cup. Bill McLaren, in his autobiography Talking of Rugby writes at length about his Hong Kong Sevens experiences:

"I remember a big South Sea islander saying that, in his view, the Hong Kong sevens were really the Olympic games of Rugby Union. Certainly, the Hong Kong event encapsulates all the really good things that the game has to offer–splendid organisation, wonderful sporting spirit, universal camaraderie, admirable field behaviour, the most enjoyable crowd participation, the chance for emergent rugby nations to lock horns with the mighty men of New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Wales, Scotland and the Barbarians. There is, too, scintillating running and handling which is what the game is supposed to be all about."

Anyhow, its great to be living back in Hong Kong and able to enjoy such an International event every year!

Return of the Gweilo

2011-03-16T10:55:00.013+08:00

I lived in Hong Kong in the years leading up to July 1, 1997 when the territory was returned to China from Great Britain. During those days it was common to see gweilos (a vaguely pejorative term given to Caucasians meaning at worst "foreign devil" and at best "pale ghost") holding political office alongside Chinese counterparts. During that time members of the Legislative Council (Hong Kong's version of parliament) were just as apt to have a last name like MacGreggor as they were to be a Lee or a Chan.

With resumption of sovereignty by China in 1997, any smattering of diversity, at least in the politcal arena, disappeared almost overnight. The International flavor of Hong Kong was still visable in other city sectors however. Business, religious, and entertainment sectors to name but a few, still mixed the majority Chinese population with many other ethnic minority Hong Kongers to create a vibrant cosmopolitan fabric. But in the political sector, save a few civil service positions, the ethnicity became quite homogenous. (I recently saw a "gweilo" police officer and was surprised to be told there were still a few around)

Recently though a couple items hit the news here in Hong Kong that raised a few eyebrows. The first was that in an election last September, Paul Zimmerman, became the first non-Chinese elected to political office as a District Councillor when he was voted in by 60% of the Pok Fu Lam residents. Zimmerman, who admits his Cantonese is poor, still saw a large portion of the local Chinese population of that district tick a gweilo's name in the ballot box.

This is followed by a recent South China Morning Post article that details British born, but long time Hong Kong resident, Andrew Brown's trials since winning a village election by a single vote in 2003. Seems Brown has had trouble with one of the long time ruling families to the point where he has not even been allowed into the village office he is supposed to work from.

But "foreigners" winning elections in post-Handover Hong Kong?? I can almost see the movie poster now:

"Return of the Gweilo"

starring Joaquin Phoenix as Paul Zimmerman and Hugh Grant as Andrew Brown.

An Oscar contender for sure :)

What's in a Name?

2011-03-13T07:12:00.004+08:00

For a few years now (OK for a LOT of years) I have been a reader of Charisma Magazine. Its a monthly publication with articles and news covering the charismatic stream of Christianity.
As a "dancing in the aisles" charismatic myself, I've always enjoyed the coverage and insight they give on what God is doing with His church around the world.

In the early days author Jamie Buckingham would write a last page column that was always witty, humorous, insightful, and with a gentle swipe at some of the less than desirable attributes of pentecostal Christianity. As some one who considered himself witty, humorous, and insightful, I appreciated reading someone who showed me that speaking in tongues and having a brain were not mutually exclusive.

Anyhow, when Jaimie passed away the column was assumed by the magazine's founder, Stephen Strang whose Strang Communications has grown into a media empire featuring a host of Christian publications and resources. Stephen, along with fellow editor J. Lee Grady, continued to write passionate columns encouraging Christians as well as decrying some of the hypocrisy within our own movement. The irony (and often the focus of many a letter to the editor) was one of them would be blasting the excesses of certain ministers and ministries on one page with that very type of ministry being "blasted" having a full page ad on the opposing page highlighting the fact.

Anyhow...the point of this blog post.

In Mr. Strang's latest column he says that after 30 years, they will be changing the name of the whole company from Strang Communications to Charisma Media. Why?

Essentially to take his name out of it and keep the focus on God.

He mentions how in the last year he began to use the moniker "Steve" rather than "Stephen" when identifying himself. As a "Steve / Stephen" myself I was curious why. Basically in examining his own motivations he found a little pride in his use of "Stephen". Hence a switch to the less sophisticated sounding, "Steve".

Following this, he realized he had been hoping to leave a legacy with Strang Communications not unlike great Christian publishers like Thomas Nelson and Pat Zondervan. In his words though he says,

"Was I put on earth to serve God or build a legacy to myself?...I knew the answer."

Names are pretty important things...especially to God. The Bible is full of people giving names to other people, objects, places, and even themselves for very specific reasons. One of the rewards Christ promises is the giving of a name to us that only He and the person know...suggesting an intimacy of relationship with the Creator of all life that we desire within the very soul of our being.

That said, Stephen Strang has taken his name off the masthead of the empire that he founded. He did it because he knows what very few people walking on this Earth ever fully realize:

"Jesus must increase and we must decrease."

Kudos to Stephen Strang. He continues to show me hope in the leaders of the Christian Church in general, and the Charismatic Movement specifically. Of course, considering the post, kudos is probably not what he's looking for. :)

BYU Benches Star Player: "And so shines a good deed in a weary world"

2011-03-09T07:13:00.003+08:00

There is a great scene in the movie Hoosiers where the small town high school basketball coach played by Gene Hackman benches one of his star players during a game because of an attitude problem. As they begin to lose, the parents are screaming for him to get the kid back in the game. Principals be damned, there is a game to be won! Hackman doesn't buckle as there is a higher value he is trying to drive home to his team.

A real life Hoosiers moment hit the college basketball world this week when Bringham Young University benched its scoring star Brandon Davies for an honor code violation. The violation? He admitted pre-marital sexual relations with his girlfriend.

Of course now a chorus of ridicule is being heaped on the Mormon based university for it "puritanical" honor code that seems out of step with the times but what is encouraging is seeing a growing wave of support for this point of light in a weary world.

The Daily Show - Tales of Principled Behavior
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Even Jon Stewart on The Daily Show showed an admiration for the decision in its Tales of Principled Behavior section. I include the video but with the disclaimer of a PG-13 rating. (The relevant section is in the second half of the clip)

Kudos to BYU for standing firm despite this action severely affecting their Division D Championship possibilities and kudos to Davies himself who has come to the games, sat on the bench, and supported his team.

And the Oscar Goes To....

2011-02-26T07:46:00.003+08:00

Living in Hong Kong is great...but its not conducive to throwing a good Oscar party. To throw a party for the Sunday evening event in Los Angeles would mean an early Monday morning here....not so good! Now Colorado, there was a place to throw a party for Oscar night. The Red Carpet would kick off about 5:00 and the whole thing would be done by about 9:00...making work on Monday morning bearable!

Anyhow, the local Hong Kong station will air the awards Monday evening here and I'll invite a few film loving friends over to see if we can recapture the magic. We'll play "Oscar Bingo" where everyone gets a bingo card filled with random, sometimes crazy, events that always seem to happen at the awards. As we see them occur we mark them off on the card. But the real focus will be on whether our favorites of the year will win...or Black Swan

So my thoughts on some of the key movies nominated this year:

The Fighter:   True story of boxer Micky Ward's (Mark Walburg) struggle to overcome adversity which comes in the form of his white trash family including his cocaine addicted half-brother / trainer Dicky (Christian Bale). With the help of the girl (Amy Adams) and a little grit though he becomes champ. Boxer movies like this are always Oscar favorites and with the strong performances of the cast I imagine some gold will be brought home on Sunday night.

True Grit: Jeff Bridges did what few could do and thats step into a role made iconic by John Wayne...and he does a good job! What I found a little disappointing was Matt Damon who I usually enjoy in just about every role he's in...except this one. For some reason when Glen Campbell (who had the role in the original film) compares favorably with an actor of Damon's caliber, you know something ain't clicking. The kid was pretty good to but is it just me, or was she just getting on my nerves by the end?

The Kids are All Right Closeted heterosexual Julianne Moore is in a struggling homosexual marriage with Anette Benning. She strikes up an affair with their children's sperm doner father played by Mark Ruffalo.  Unfortunately society today is just not ready for heterosexuals to find true love in these situations and she dutifully goes back to her family. Annette Benning gives a strong performance as always and I would not be surprised if she took home a statue.

The Social Network: Unbelievable that a movie about how Facebook got started could be this good. Chalk it up to an airtight script penned by Aaron Sorkin (for which he will most likely get a screenplay award)
If you haven't seen it...you need to.

Black Swan: Natalie Portman plays an innocent ballet star who develops a REALLY dark side during a production of Swan Lake. Her acting level is incredible but the movie itself is the type of pretentious nonsense film that always seems to find a place at awards time. I admit I only got half way through the movie before I stopped it and read the plot ending on Wikipedia. Life is too short and there are good films yet to be viewed.

The King's Speech: I'll admit it, movies like The King's Speech are like oxygen to Anglophiles like myself. Colin Firth as the stuttering King George V, and Geoffrey Rush as his unorthodox speech therapist has become the front runner for...well...just about everything. Amazing movie and if it wins, it will be well deserved.

Toy Story 3 & Inception:  Neither one of these films have a chance of winning but the expansion of the Best Movie category to ten nominated films gives these two movies some of the attention and accolades they deserve. I loved both of them!

Anyhow, we'll see how things turn out Sunday night. Feel free to comment on some of your favorite films of the year!

Ethan's Dedication & Kingdom Conference with Bill Johnson

2011-02-18T06:00:00.003+08:00

Last Sunday was a busy day! I had to speak at Island City Church in the morning and then race over for the beginning of the Kingdom Culture conference at Queen Elizabeth Stadium...all that while thinking about the 5000 word assignment I had due the day before for which I was granted a small extension. I played the "I had a new baby" card (which is very true) and was granted an additional 72 hours from the course lecturer.

The Sunday preach went well (it's always a blessing for me to go back and speak at ICC) and for me the best part was to have everyone gather around as we dedicated little Ethan George to the Lord. There is something powerful that happens when you pray prophetically over a child believing that God is going to impart anointing even on a newborn. For me, to hold Ethan out and declare before the congregation that we will raise our child in the precepts of the Lord is like the vow made before witnesses at a wedding. Gabriel, Tammy, and I did it as a family and it was a special moment.

We then raced over to the conference and were totally blessed. The conference was sponsored by a pan-church organization called City Renewal and was supported by a number of English and Chinese language churches. There are few things Tammy and I get excited about more than church unity and how it can affect a city.

It was also a special treat for Tammy and I as we got to connect with some old friends and acquaintances that we knew when we lived in Hong Kong in the 1990's.

And Bill Johnson's teaching? Put it this way. I'm not a big note taker during talks. (Actually if truth be told, I rarely ever take notes) However, I jotted down a page of notes from Johnson's talk and realized in many ways it reflected the vision we had for Hong Kong when we were here 10 years ago. To identify with the city, to be part of it not outside of it. To create a culture that honors people... and then watch what the Holy Spirit can do...

Of course one funny anecdote, the stadium officials wouldn't let Ethan in without a ticket. Even though he was newborn, he needed to have a ticket (and the ticket was not particularly cheap) Finally the event organizers were notified what was going on and arranged for Ethan to have a complimentary ticket to satisfy the stadium ticket takers. I enclose a picture with Ethan proudly ready to present his ticket at the gate.

Happy Birthday to The Gipper!

2011-02-07T09:02:00.001+08:00

He would have been 100 years old today! Across America, Cenetennial celebrations are being carried out to mark what would have been the 100th birthday of former President Ronald Wilson Reagan.

I miss the Gipper! He gave America hope after the malaise years of Vietnam and Carter. Like today, the economy was shot, unemployment was up, and we were constantly told that Japan was the rising economic power that would eventually dislodge America's economic might and the Soviets were going to dominate us militarily . America's Best Days were behind and we needed to accept the fact we were a superpower in decline. (Anything sound familiar?)

Then a little known B-grade Hollywood actor out of California said, "Well, we'll just have to see about that..." and over the next 8 years put the pride back in America's soul. He called the United States a "shining city on a hill" pronounced the Soviet Union "an evil empire" and turned the U.S. economy into a global powerhouse again. Leaders of the Democratic Party were agast as their rank and file broke away to reelect him by a landslide in 1984. The same year a young 18 year old Steve Hackman cast his first vote which proudly went to the Gipper! What a time it was for Republicans....a time when we didn't have to canvess the trash bin for our leaders, we KNEW who our leader was.

I just read an article that said President Obama was trying to study Reagan to learn how he coped through some of the similar hurdles they have both encountered. In the piece they quote Pres. Obama saying:

"No matter what political disagreements you may have had with President Reagan -- and I certainly had my share -- there is no denying his leadership in the world, or his gift for communicating his vision for America," Obama wrote in an op-ed for USA Today. Observers argue that Obama is looking to Reagan to find out how to turn around a bad economy, reach out to the other side of the aisle and restore faith in the American spirit.

Study hard Mr. President ...Study hard!