Sifting the World

I have never really been part of something smaller, before it becomes big.  …well, besides waiting about 10 years until the San Antonio Spurs won their first NBA championship in 1999, that is.

Anyway, here is a chance for you to be part of something smaller, before it blows up on fire.  It is a band out of St. Louis called Fundamental Elements, or, as they sometimes now go by, FE.  They have won numerous battle of the bands within St. Louis and have toured in just about every state touching Missouri, as well as every state touching that state and so on.  They have just released their second CD in 3 years and it is something to talk about. 

I can keep going on about the level of talent in this band, but you need to go see them or hear them for yourself to truly understand the catchiness behind this pop with soul-infused band.  I most recommend going to see them live so that you can fully understand this band and it’s power to get you clapping, dancing, and feeling 100% better than you were before you heard them.  Not to mention you will see one of the tightest drummer and bass player duos that you can remember.  They usually have a solo at some point during the show.  If you can’t catch FE at one of their upcoming shows then in the meantime you need to (a) call a venue in your town to book them so you can see them, (b) go to their site and buy one of their new CD’s (The Cycle We’re Living In), or (c) do both of the previous options and let me know that I was right about them!

I believe they are on myspace and facebook and all of those sites, but it is probably just easiest to send you to their web site… www.fundamentalelements.net

How often do you receive encouragement?  Would you say once a day?  Once a week?  Once a month?  Now let me ask you a different question…How often do you give encouragement?  You see, encouragement is a funny thing.  It feels so good to get, but we fail so often to give it.  Encouragement is one of those things than can make such a difference in a life.  Receiving one kind sentence of praise from someone can completely change your entire week, can’t it?!  Why then, are we so slow to give encouragement and praise out to others?  I guess I should be asking why do I not give it more often. 

I feel bad that in this selfish world and nation that we now live in, I have fallen into the traps of self-love.  I am self-absorbed to where I want so much to receive encouragement and praise for myself from others, but am probably the absolute worst at giving it out to others.

I would encourage you this week, that as I try to make it a point to encourage others, starting with my wife and family, that you join me in encouraging others in your life, too.  And let’s do this–don’t just send a text or email encouragement or praise to someone, but instead tell them face-to-face.  I guarantee you that it will lift their spirits more than they show…you know it will, because you have been there before when someone encouraged and praised you!  And the ironic thing is that it will make you feel pretty good yourself when you put someone else first!

Since 1979, the year I was born, the Chinese government has had a policy entitled the one-child policy, which they introduced to try to control the population (aka communism in birth-control form).  If more than one child is born, the penalty is not as bad as death…however, that is debatable.  I can’t imagine the number of abortions performed in that country alone, due to the emphasis of having a son in your once-in-a-lifetime chance.  Besides that, should a family have more than one child, which then becomes an illegal child, the local government has the right to levy steep fines on that couple while that child is still alive.  Also, the children are sometimes denied governmental benefits, which includes access to a free education.

This one-child policy has recently surfaced back into the media due to the thousands of deaths caused by the earthquakes there.  An estimated 10,000 students alone are believed to have perished in schools collapsing.  Parents are now openly challenging the government, because their only child has died.  The problem is, many of these people are no longer able to have children.

We are so blessed in the United States.

For an interesting read on this subject, of which I used information for the above, please read here:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/05/27/asia/27child.php

Well, it has all happened so quick that it’s hard to believe the competition to see who would rule the high-def video market has come to an end.

Today in Japan, Toshiba who created the HD-DVD format announced they would begin winding down the format.  This comes at no surprise since Warner announced in January that it would solely move to Blu-ray by May.  This only left Paramount and Universal as the only studios to support HD-DVD.  Since then, powerhouses Netflix and Best Buy, to name a few, have announced sole dedication to Blu-ray.  Most recently, though, was the final blow to HD-DVD’s growing lack of support when on Friday THE RETAILER Wal-mart announced it would soon only be selling Blu-ray players and movies in it’s stores.

By this afternoon, Universal had already announced that they were in the process of preparing titles for the Blu-ray format.  As for Paramount, they will not have as much trouble gearing up to release on Blu-ray, since they were releasing previously on Blu-ray before signing a deal to release solely on HD-DVD.  I would assume there was a clause in this contract that allows them to release on Blu-ray, at least pending HD-DVD folding.  Assuming that this is the case, we could see Paramount titles being released on Blu-ray within weeks, since they had new titles ready to release previously before halting their Blu-ray production.  This is not to mention all of the catalog titles they would already have on Blu-ray ready to release that they had to pull when going solely HD-DVD.

I never really feared for my job at all, but now that it is Blu-ray and Blu-ray only, we must prepare for the tsunami of Blu-ray production this coming Summer and Peak Season.

Now that there is a definite one-and-only format for High Definition, you can buy a player and movies assuredly for your $1,500 TV!  Happy Hi-def to you all!

I hate to say it, but it is a sad, sad situation in America and I assume the rest of the world.  I truly believe that a lot of the world’s problems come down to the breakdown of…The family.  I’m not sure if that word still exists today…at least not in the sense that it did 50 or 60 years ago.  There is not the solid Oak structure of a family tree as there used to be in a Father, Mother, and children for every two generations.  The roles of the father and mother are split between “stepsfather/mother” “boyfriend/girlfriends,” and even just “lover.”

As a father, I blame much of this on the father role.  Men are weak today.  I’m not sure if it is because of the “picture of the father” that the media presents or if the media presents that picture because that is what is true.  Either way, the man in today’s world, the father, is weak.  What most men today think is strong, is simply only a fool’s strength.  He is uncommitted to his wife and children, and is enthralled by video games or another addiction.  He is lazy.  IF he does work a regular job, he comes home and is “too tired” to spend time with his wife and children.  He does not hold to promises, because things are just too busy and too hard.  He is not willing to stand up for what is right.  He would rather fit in, than be put aside.  He does not want to show weakness, because that is “not being strong.”

As the father fails, it trickles first and foremost to the wife.  It is God’s intention for the man to love, serve, cherish, and uphold his wife.  After all, scripture compares man to his wife in the same aspect as Christ to the church.  This no longer happens.  So, the wife is weak, frail, unfulfilled, and needy.  She finds alternate ways of making up for that.

Next, the kids are the final recipient of this virus strain.  They indirectly and unintentionally learn from the structure and relationship of the parents.  I truly believe this is another part of God’s design and desire.  However, when that example is broken, guess what happens to the children.  They find alternate ways of making up for that.  The need that they have for a stable, full, and nurturing parental structure goes unfulfilled and outside teaching makes it’s way into their learning.

In today’s world, we are more concerned with saving our planet than saving ourselves and our families.  Trees are dying every day.  They are breaking and withering.  Decades and even centuries of families that have built strong bases emotionally, physically, and spiritually for their offspring to grow upon are disappearing.  They are being lost and forgotten in a world that is now “too busy and doesn’t have enough time” to stop and breathe.  These trees that are dying are chopped down at no one else’s fault than that of the tree itself.  When the wind even just whispers a breeze through the branches, the tree itself is already too weak to withstand it.  What should be a simple breeze that merely moves and sways the branches, is more like that of a tornado cracking, breaking, and falling the weak ”strength” that was nearly almost dead already.

Where beautiful forests once stood of great sturdy trees, there now lies a field of grass and weeds and little sapplings trying to grow…trying to make it through yet another winter…another thunderstorm.  Continuing to fail and fall and attempt to grow again…removing themselves further and further from the soil in which their roots need to take hold.

Okay, I’ve decided that I will hang-up my short-lived life of being a prophet.  Why?!–well, because I was way off on my first prediction.  Not only did the Colts not make it to the Super Bowl, or even the Pats for that matter, the Cowboys didn’t even make it to the conference championship either.  Double-ouch!

So, as the NFL comes to a close, I will watch…maybe cheer on brother Manning until he is out…but mostly turn to my real team of the last 18 years…The Spurs!  Go Spurs Go!  …and no, I’m not going to make any predictions for that.

Call me brave. Call me dumb. Call me crazy. Call me smart?! I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict the two teams that will be competing in the Super Bowl this year. Also the winner. I truly believe (barring no further injuries) that the Colts will win the Super Bowl over the Dallas Cowboys.

I believe the Patriots are overrated.  I believe the Jags and Colts are underrated.  But I believe the latter is the best team that is underrated.  IF the Patriots get past the Jags this coming weekend, I predict they will fall (at home) to the Colts (Colts will beat the Chargers in Indy this coming weekend).  If not, then I think the Colts will beat a good/HOT team in the Jaguars, in Indy, the following week.

Colts repeat NFL champions.

Previously I had posted (last August) about Paramount switching to support HD-DVD only.  This move made no sense logically, but then news leaked about a payment of $150 million changing hands in Paramount’s favor for the move.  That was then.

Oh how the balance has changed now and Paramount is regreting their decision I’m sure.  Yesterday, Warner announced that they would be supporting Blu-ray exclusively, starting in May of this year.  That means they will continue to release movies in HD-DVD through May, but they didn’t promise how many or what titles.  So, they could simply just release one title between now and then.  Either way, for someone wanting to buy into the High-definition movie world, they going to be even less likely now to buy HD-DVD than Blu-ray.

How big is Warner’s decision?  Well, Warner was the last studio to support both sides and now that have proclaimed which format they feel is the better decision for consumers.  Last year, Warner lead the market with numbers of sales in North America with 18-20% share of the DVD market.  So, not only is a big contender moving to Blu-ray only, the LARGEST contender is now joining the exclusive Blu-ray studios of Fox, Sony Pictures, Disney, MGM, and Lionsgate.  New Line Cinema who had previously been releasing on both, but showing exclusive support to Blu-ray on some titles, will most likely be joining Warner with full support of Blu-ray only since they are a subsidiary of Warner.

Blu-ray only:  Sony Pictures, MGM, 20th Century Fox, Disney, Lionsgate, Warner, [New Line?]

HD-DVD only:  Universal, Paramount

Here’s to one [BIG] step forward on moving this consumer-confusing war to an end.