Field of Dreams

Posted on July 21, 2008
Filed Under Personal | 1 Comment

Last week I had the chance to do something I’ve wanted to do ever since I was a kid. Sorry if I gush just a bit. You see, I got to watch a baseball game at Boston’s legendary Fenway Park. What a thrill to sit just five rows behind the home team’s dugout. So many great baseball players made history on the field that stretched out in front of me–including Babe Ruth, Cy Young, Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, and Carl Yastrzemski.

Built in 1912, Fenway is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium still in use today. The intimate size of the stadium, the fourth smallest in the league, just added to the charm of the evening. Unlike some of the modern behemoths, Fenway Park offers an incredibly warm and family friendly atmosphere.

For instance, before the game started young fans easily got signatures on balls, caps, and their programs while players tossed balls into the seats with smiles. The casual interaction between fans and players reminded me of a friendlier time, when the business of baseball didn’t eclipse the fun and magic of the game. Read more

Hog Wild on the Trail to Vail

Posted on July 17, 2008
Filed Under Adventure, Personal | 2 Comments

For years fitness experts have been urging Americans to eat right, get plenty of exercise, drink enough water to quench the thirst of a camel, and sleep at least seven hours a night. Why? To maintain a healthy lifestyle. While I totally agree those things are key, there’s another part of the equation that’s easy to overlook: Having fun with a hobby.

There’s something about enjoying a recreational activity–be it scrap booking, fishing on Saturday morning, wood working, or playing Monopoly with the kids–that does wonders for the human spirit. Too many couples I know are drowning in the wall-to-wall duties of running a household. There’s no end to the “To Do” list which seems longer than the IRS tax code. Struggling to keep their head above the waterline of obligations, they’ve forgotten how to relax.

Recognizing my personal need to de-stress and unwind, I took up a new hobby last year: cruising the countryside on a Harley. A couple of weeks ago a group of us, ten guys in all, took the back roads to Vail, Colorado. Suited up in our leather duds we headed out Highway 24 at the crack of dawn, thundered our way along Rt. 285 to Rt. 9 through Leadville, and finally rumbled into Vail in time for lunch at the Route 6 Diner.

My riding mates included retired Major League Baseball legend Dave Dravecky Read more

Going Ape Over Human Rights

Posted on July 12, 2008
Filed Under News Flash | 6 Comments

Here’s a headline that caught my eye a couple of days ago:

Great Apes Should Have Human Rights, Say Spanish MPs

My immediate reaction was to double-check the calendar. You know, if it were April 1st, I could dismiss the whole thing as a reporter just monkeying around with a catchy headline. But the article wasn’t a joke. According to the report, a number of the members of parliament (MPs) in Spain have been lobbying the government to adopt something called the “Great Ape Project” (GAP).

What’s that? This article didn’t elaborate so I did a little digging around. The roots of GAP go back some fourteen years. In 1994, Peter Singer, professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, author of Animal Liberation, and the man credited as the father of the modern animal rights movement, co-edited a book called The Great Ape Project: Equality Beyond Humanity. In it, Singer presents essays by various biologists, lawyers, anthropologists, and fellow philosophers pitching the idea of welcoming apes into “the community of equals.” How?

By extending three basic human protections to non-human counterparts:

1. The right to life
2. Protection of individual liberty
3. Prohibition of torture

If passed, the measure would confer these basic human rights to bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans–who are, according to Pedro Pozas, Director of GAP in Spain, our “evolutionary comrades.” Furthermore, the Great Ape Project desires to extend the right of due process of law to apes. You might want to read that again. Read more

iPhone Fever

Posted on July 11, 2008
Filed Under News Flash | 1 Comment

Today’s big news, at least in the cell phone industry, is the release of Apple’s much anticipated second generation iPhone. To say that enthusiasm was high for the new gadget would be an understatement. Take the hundreds of folks waiting in a line outside of a store on Fifth Avenue in New York for half the night. The line literally encircled the block.

Stories of iPhone fever abound. Eager to lay hands on Apple’s new and improved phone, buyers from Tokyo to Atlanta camped out overnight to be among the first to snap up the faster and more feature-packed device. With die hard fans like that, you’d think the surviving two Beatles were selling tickets to a reunion tour.

Hey, I’m all for new technology. This phone is amazing–it does just about everything. But lining up for eight, ten, or even twelve hours to buy a cell phone? Hmm. The stampede to get an iPhone got me thinking about our priorities. Not to take anything away from the joy of owning an iPhone, but wouldn’t it be great if people were also lining up around the block to volunteer to tutor inner city students . . . maybe help a single parent with much needed household repairs . . . or lend a hand in the church nursery or Sunday school program?

That’d sure be newsworthy, don’t you think?

Is Your Baby a Racist?

Posted on July 9, 2008
Filed Under News Flash | 6 Comments

Jane Lane, a “racial equality advocate,” published a new book this week in which she suggests a link between a toddlers reaction to foreign foods and possible future racist attitudes. In Young Children and Racial Justice: Taking Action for Racial Equality in the Early Years, Jane believes society should pay closer attention to children “who react negatively to a culinary tradition other than their own by saying ‘yuck.’”

Why? Jane believes such nose-thumbing at ethnic food could be an early indicator that your baby is a racist. I’m not making this up. And, since Jane’s goal is to stamp out racism in the world, parents should heed what Jane sees as an “early warning sign” of racist tendencies. I guess that means if Tommy doesn’t like tacos as a toddler, that’s an indicator he may harbor prejudice against Latinos once he grows up.

While I commend Jane’s desire to end racism, this view troubles me for a host of reasons. Is a parent supposed to place their 18-month-old in sensitivity training because he or she doesn’t like curry dishes? Should a toddler’s food preferences be recorded in a national database so that her elementary school teachers can keep an eye on how she socializes with various nationalities?

No question, racism is a cancer. And teaching our children to love one another regardless of race is imperative. But to suggest disliking the taste of Indian, Cajun, Greek or any other cuisine means a person may be exhibiting racist behavior is a serious stretch, don’t you think? Besides, how can you blame a toddler for not liking steamed broccoli? It’s yucky!

What country is broccoli from anyway?

Modesty is the Best Policy

Posted on July 3, 2008
Filed Under News Flash, Relationships | 2 Comments

Nancy introduced herself to me as a “gender-queer lesbian” after reading my post, Not In My Shower regarding Colorado Gov. Ritter’s signing of SB200 into law. In case you didn’t hear, SB200 is a bill that has stripped men, women, boys, and girls of their privacy in a locker room, a shower, or a bathroom by permitting members of the opposite sex, as well as cross-dressers, transsexuals, bisexuals–or people who are just curious about their sexuality–to use whichever restroom, locker room, or shower that they like. Put it this way, thanks to SB200: A man can use a woman’s restroom. A boy can use the girls locker room and showers at school. And a hefty fine awaits anyone who tries to prevent this from happening.

About a week ago Nancy offered a personal response that I thought was worthy of addressing in more detail. But first I want to thank Nancy for taking the time to join the conversation. I also want to thank her for her patience in waiting for my response. My family and I have been on vacation and I’m just now getting back to the blog.

Here’s Nancy’s comment: Read more

Alice’s Nightmare Comes to America

Posted on July 1, 2008
Filed Under News Flash | Leave a Comment

Check out this interesting story…
Click Here

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About

Jim Daly is the President of Focus on the Family. He has been married to his wife, Jean, since 1986. They have two sons. The Daly family resides in Colorado Springs. Finding Home represents Jim's musings on work, family and faith.