steve-o
Introduction To The House of Carr
Introduction To The House of Carr

Perfect Strangers [emphasis: strange]

A couple of weeks ago, my buddy Aaron Levering came down to Cincy to speak at a men's banquet at my home church. Aaron and I were roommates in college for two [non-consecutive] years. It was great to catch up with him.

After school he went down to minister to a small church outside Williamstown, Kentucky. There he met his wife Tia, and promptly moved to a small town outside of Oklahoma City to preach. Most recently, they moved to a church in Richmond, Indiana. They have two boys, with one baby on the way.

Aaron and I are total opposites: He's a Browns fan, I'm a Bengals fan. He's a small-town guy, I love the city. He's less filling, I'm tastes great. Despite all of our differences, we had [and still have] one thing in common: the love of preaching. All throughout school, we talked about our craft and how we would use it. It's cool to know that we both have been able to stick with it. Whereas Aaron had the guts to take small town preaching jobs, I waited until Echo [seven years post college] to finally get started doing it.

So here's to you Aaron. And I'm thankful that Kelly doesn't have the same Marvin the Martian obsession that you had.

Don't Bet On It

The Cincinnati casino won't happen. Why? Because it's all about the Benjamins. True, I have nothing to back up this conspiracy [which would make me guilty of irresponsible journalism], but I'm sure someone could prove this true:

1) The Learn and Earn Group [who want casinos everywhere in Ohio EXCEPT Cincinnati] knows that having two similar issues on the ballot is confusing to voter. Confusion usually leads to a "no" vote. They want to sacrifice a Cincinnati casino for statewide gambling.

2) Now why wasn't Cincinnati include in the original Learn and Earn petition? Because the folks at Argosy are willing to pay whatever it takes to protect their business. A Cincinnati casino would render Argosy useless.

Money: the world's most powerful language.

Is This News?

About the double-edged sword that it the internet: it gives people a voice, but some voices are best never heard. All a person has to do is find a computer with web access and their unedited thoughts can be on display for the entire world to see. Think of it as digital graffiti. But since it's a newer medium, some people struggle how to react to it. Should all views that hit the world wide web be taken seriously? Of course not.

But apparently one "journalist" from Pittsburgh thinks the world wide web is a legitimate source for a news story.

Check out this article by Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Trash-talking NFL fans waste no time reveling in Roethlisberger's misfortune.

This has to be one of the worst newspaper articles I've ever written. This guy went to the internet, looked up the worst stuff people wrote about Ben's accident and published it in the paper. I'll admit, I'm ticked off about it. So much so, that I wrote an article to the reporter. Here's what I said:

Mr Fittipaldo, My name is Steve Carr, and I am I lifelong resident of Cincinnati, Ohio. I rarely write letters to journalists from my hometown paper, so you can understand that your recent Post Gazette article, "Trash-talking NFL fans waste no time reveling in Roethlisberger's misfortune" must have struck a nerve with me if I decided to write to you, a journalist in Pittsburgh.

I am a Bengals fan, which means that I loath the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sure I respect all the franchise's accomplishments, including their most recent Super Bowl victory, but they are a division rival. I would prefer that they lose every game. Brutal, but honest.

That being said, your article about Bengals fans rejoicing in Ben Roethlisberger's accident was way out of line. Using the internet as a resource for how Bengals fans feel about Roethlisberger's injury is irresponsible. The internet allows anyone with a computer the opportunity to post unfiltered thoughts for the entire world to see. Doing a Google search for the worst comments you could find and putting them in print is nothing but lazy journalism. There's a never-ending supply of racist, insensitive fodder on the internet, but it doesn't make it into most newspapers because journalists know better.

Your article was in no way helpful, but most likely supplied legitimacy to the people who wrote this garbage. These bloggers do not reflect the majority opinion of the people of Cincinnati. Roethlisberger was a star at local Miami University. Despite his current NFL team affiliation, many Bengals fans struggle to root against him because of his local history. There are many people who've wished him the best through this rough time, and are praying for his recovery. And I'm sure some of these well-wishes were posted on the internet. But no mention of that was found in your article. I wonder why . . .

Perhaps it's because you were using this internet trash talk as way to fuel the fire of Cincinnati hatred. That's the only motivation I can find in this article: to make Bengals fans look insensitive to this tragedy and give Steelers fans cause for additional ill will. If that is the case, then you should be ashamed for using Ben's accident as an excuse to increase civic pride.

Nowhere in this piece was it stated that this was an editorial. That's the only excuse I could see for this drivel. I'm disappointed, to say the least.

Sincerely, Steve Carr Cincinnati, Ohio

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In case you're so moved, his email is rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com

When I Think Of My Niece . . .

Congrats to my brother Chris and his wife Heather on the birth of their third child. It's a little girl named Lorelai Marie. I can't help but sing the Styx song whenever I say her name, but I'm sure that'll wear off. We had the chance to see her tonight and the girl's a little beauty. Here's a picture of Kelly holding her: Quote of the day goes to my five-year-old nephew Samuel who asked my brother, "Daddy, how will the baby get out?" To which my brother replied, "The doctor will get it out." Frustrated by this response, Samuel complained, "You and mommy know, but you're just not telling me."

True, Samuel, very true.

Go West, Young Man

Had a great time tonight with the youth group of Impact Church. Jason Bast [shout-out to his wife Jennifer who wasn't there but is a regular Beit Carr reader] invited me to come back to my homeland and speak to his kids. I couldn't turn down the opportunity to return to the westside to impart some homegrown wisdom on my brethren [and sistern?]It was awesome to see such a diverse group of teens; everyone is welcome there, no matter what "clique" they belong to. And everyone who comes into the group gets a nickname such as Tree, Bouncy-ball, or Squirrel Hair. The kids are then forever known by those names. So tonight, whenever I introduced myself to one of the teens, they always responded by telling me their nickname. Sounds crazy, but it was rather entertaining. And the kids love it. I'm sure, if I'm ever invited back, there'll be twice as many kids there. It could be because everyone wants to be like Larry. Or it could be because the westside rocks. Or maybe it'll be because of God. You decide.

Plus, I had a great conversation afterwards with a girl named Adrienne. She lives in Clifton, just graduated from Walnut Hills High School, and will be attending a prestigious university out east this fall. It was encouraging to meet an articulate Christian young lady whose parents raised her in the same environment in which we'll raise Kaelyn. It made me smile.

All in all, it was time well spent. Good stuff.

You Can't Do It

I always hated The Electric Slide at weddings. I don't like large group dances [i.e., The Macarena], so I abhor the thought of one step left, two steps back, cross your arms, then slide. And what I learned today makes me vow never to do the slide again for fear of litigation. Apparently Ric Silver, choreographer of The Electric Slide, has a copyright on all uses of the dance. You can read all about it on his website. Silver warns that,

"All rights, including performance of any kind or nature by professionals or amateurs, recitation, lecturing, public reading, radio or television broadcast, cable television, videotape, audio recording, motion pictures and rights of translation into foreign languages are strictly reserved. Any performance, copying (including photocopying), arranging, adapting, inserting or storing in a retrieval system, transmitting in any form by any means whatsoever, including mechanical or electronic, of any portion of this material without the prior written consent of the copyright owners is an infringement of copyright thereby entitling the copyright owners to injunctive and other relief to the full extent of the law."

So remember, it's all fun and games until you get sued for doing the Hokey Pokey.

HT: Cincinnati Beacon.

Easy, Rider

I'm not a jerk. I hope Ben Roethlisberger is OK. But I gotta say: he's not too bright. This guy thinks he should be running a no-huddle offense? If he doesn't know riding a motorcycle is crazy, he's not ready to call his own plays at the line of scrimmage. Don't get me wrong, I understand the allure of hogs; This is the time of year that I get really tempted to get one. Who wouldn't? The weather is ideal, the gas mileage is killer, and, being honest, it makes you look like a stud. But all it takes is a Big Ben-type story and I come back to reality that it's a dangerous hobby.

All it took to convince me was to have a friend get into an accident. Larry's brother Brad had pins in his arm, teeth knocked out, and could very well have died after getting into an bike accident at the expense of careless driver. And Brad is one of the smartest guys I know. It's not even about wearing a helmet or being an experienced rider. As unpredictable as motorists are, I sometimes feel unsafe being in an SUV, let alone fully exposed on a bike.

I have some really close friends who are bikers that are going to get pissed at me for saying all this, but I wish they would find a safer hobby.

Just had to be honest.

WE SUCK!

There's still 25 minutes left in the match, and I'd love to have to eat these words, but this is the worst US performance I've seen in 8 years [including the '98 in France where the US didn't win a game]. This was supposed to be the best US team ever assembled for a Cup, but they looked pitiful. DeMarcus Beasley was atrocious and Landon Donovan was invisible. There was no offense being generated from the wings, and the Czech's held strong in the middle. Pathetic. If they play like this throughout group play, they won't win a game.

Postscript: Yes, we ended up losing 3-0. Yikes. It was nice to hear Coach Bruce Arena echo my thoughts about Donavan and Beasley. With Italy beating Ghana 2-0, there's still a chance that we could advance to the next stage. But I watched their game and I'd be absolutely shocked if they pulled off two wins. It's all really too bad because this result is going to play right into the hands of American media's bias against the sport. I will give the post-game quote of the day to Woody Paige at ESPN who said, "The United States still might not have won a [World Cup] soccer match on European soil, but at least we won two wars there."

All Day I Dream About Steve

It's probably not a big deal to a lot of people but I'll admit that I was a tad disappointed this morning when I read that UC will be switching over their athletic uniforms to Adidas [read acronym above]. I write this while wearing my Jordan [Nike subsidiary] UC basketball shorts which, by the way, are freakin' awesome. This move was sure to happen once Huggins was tossed, and I look forward to seeing if K-State gets Air's company to do their new uni's. Here's some irony: I spent all of last college basketball season ripping on how ridiculous Louisville's basketball jerseys looked. Of course, they were designed by Adidas.

I'll do my best to reserve judgment, but I hope they don't screw-up a good thing.

Saturday Afternoon Confessions

  • The new U2/Mary J Blige version of "One" makes me want to puke. And it has nothing to do with U2 or the song.
  • The Belmont is sorta anti-climatic. This has been a rough racing season. Not sure I'll watch the race.
  • Watched a lot of World Cup this weekend. England looked horrible. Peter Crouch is not the answer up front. "Help me, Wayne Rooney, you're my only hope." Speaking of which . . .
  • I played horrible in my games this weekend. I'm not sure it was as much me but that my teams were crushed. It was ugly.
  • The Reds lost a heartbreaker last night, but they played horrible. So maybe they can start another 8 game win steak tonight.

MTV Movie Awards

I watch these award shows because they're a great way to get a pulse on pop-culture. And I do like to share, so I feel it wasn't wasted time. I guess the main observation of the night [shocker here]: sex still sells. I can't wait for the year when Amish is in. A secondary observation: MTV has no idea what their demographic is. While they wheel out all these teeny-boppers, they still put Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, and Keanu Reeves out there. It's confusing. They either need to pander to the first MTV generation who refuse to go quietly into the night [and watch VH1*] or kick us to the curb. I wonder when the station that prides itself on relevance will one day become irrelevant. Other thoughts:

  • I guess Jessica Alba is now the "it-girl." I find her rather obnoxious, but I'm not a teenage boy either. A couple of their staged bits were humorous. And whenever they bring out Flavor Flav, it's an instant classic.
  • Here's [still] the verdict on Christina Aguilera: great voice, embarrassing sex pot.
  • Who is Gnarles Barkley? I'll give you a hint: Chumbawamba, Gerardo, and Right Said Fred.
  • If you were curious, T.I. was there, and no one was shot.
  • Jaime Foxx totally ripped on Jessica Simpson's sans Nick-ness and got away with it. Is he becoming untouchable? That's a long way from In Living Color. Speaking of which . . .
  • Jim Carrey won a lifetime achievement award and I realized that the only one of his movies I haven't seen is Me, Myself, And Irene. And that omission was no accident.

Really, this might have been the worst show they've ever done. Or maybe it was the best because I'm really not in their demographic.

*I guess I've almost made the VH1 transition, because I never miss Best Week Ever.

2,000 Words

A couple of unrelated pics for you, taken by my father-in-law with his freakin' awesome camera. A good photographer with a good camera gives you great pictures. He just wishes he had the camera when he was in London, Paris, and Sydney. First, here's a picture he took of Clemens single A warm-up with the Lexington Legends. I swear, this could've been published in the paper.

And the second one I've had for a few weeks. Last time we were in Lexington, Dave and I were out and saw this church sign. We laughed and he said he's get a pic of it. I'll leave it up to you to interpret what it really means.

Feliz Cumpleanos!

Happy Birthdays are out today . . . - To elder my brother, Chris-toff [remember The Truman Show?], turning the double "3". You are now as old as Jesus was when he died. Congrats.

- To Duebber, worship leader at Impact, now halfway through his twenties. To you I say, life gets no better, you are beginning to deteriorate, so pray for death.

-To Martha Hill, mother of Emily and Melissa, turning a distinguished. . . yeah, I'm not that dumb. I'll just save the sarcastic remark so you still think I'm a gentleman.

-And to my nephew Samuel [a day early], hitting a nickel. Since you're unable to read yet, I say to you, "Your father is wasting away your college fund at Argosy with your imaginary family, so pee on his computer."

Aren't birthdays a blast?

06.06.06

Happy anniversary to my parents today. I doubt they thought, on their wedding day, that their thirty-sixth anniversary would have such a dark side. This being the "dreaded day of the devil," highlighted by a marketing campaign for the The Omen Remake, I've come to a conclusion. I've decided that all the signs are there: I, friends, must be Damien, i.e. Satan's spawn.

My day has proved it because strange, coo-coo things happening to me could have no other explanation. Note the following:

Example One: Still trying to wrap up the paperwork on my car break-in, I head to the police station. I wait half-an-hour in the dingy place, only to be told that I could just telephone it in [contrary to what I was told yesterday]. I then proceed to the westside to talk to my insurance agent [who later convinces me that it's not worth filing a claim on the stolen items, so the trip was unnecessary]. As I get off the exit, I can feel my car handling differently. Knowing it's a flat tire, I somehow make it to a nearby auto-shop where they fix my tire. I thought it was most likely broken glass from the break-in that caused the flat. Not so. It was a busted valve stem. Just so happened to bust the day after the robbery. Crazy.

Example Two: While on the westside, I stopped by to see my parents to wish them a happy anniversary. Leaving my dad's shop, I get on River Road for a scenic drive back into the city. As I'm cruising down the road, alongside other cars, I see a critter in the road ahead. A groundhog has ventured out into the roadway. Because of the traffic around me, slamming on the brakes was not an option. I gripped the way and tried to maneuver over the creature. Three of my wheels avoided it. Yes, I killed Sonic.

So both inanimate and animate succumb to my powers. This must be pointing to the only likely response: I am the Antichrist. I wonder if I get a free t-shirt for that . . .

And the day's not over yet. Stay away from me. And don't look at me. It's all for me.

Here's The Inswinger

For the majority of Americans, this Thursday doesn't mean much. But for the rest of the world, it means everything. June 8th marks the beginning of World Cup 2006. Soccer's greatest event, which takes place every four years, is being hosted by Germany. I get excited because I'm a soccer aficionado and this event displays the highest level of global competition.

While I'm passionate about the game, I realize that I will spend the month unable to talk about it to anyone, because no one I know cares. That being said, I'm still going to use this space to make my predictions on how the tournament will pan out.

First, it doesn't look good for the Red, White, and Blue. They have a difficult group which includes the Czech Republic [2nd best team in the world] and Italy. Since only two teams from each group can advance, this doesn't bode well for the US. If they could pull it off, it would be huge.

Second, I can't pick Brazil to win. That would be like picking the Dream Team to win the 1992 Olympic Gold Medal. So gimme some credit for stepping out here, and not picking the Brazilians.

Finally, it's tough to pick the second round match-ups because there's different seeding if you finish first or second in your group. It's not like the NCAA basketball bracket, so my round of sixteen match-ups could be off. But still, I try.

Group Winners: A- Germany, Ecuador B- England, Sweden C- Argentina, Netherlands D- Portugal, Mexico E- Czech Republic, Italy F- Brazil, Croatia G- France, South Korea H- Spain, Ukraine

Round of 16 Winners: Germany Argentina Czech Republic France England Netherlands Brazil Spain

Semifinalists: Argentina Czech Republic England Brazil

Final: England vs Argentina

Winner: England

Insert obligatory David Beckham picture here:

About The Emergent Church

Scott sent me an email concerning Michael who's trying to figure out this whole Emergent phenomenon. He's looking for views from both side of the movement, so I thought I'd throw up [pun intended] some stuff here. Maybe you've heard of Emergent and have wondered what all the fuss is about, or maybe you're totally unfamiliar. Either way, I hope this is post is helpful. I attended one of the first Emergent church gathering, and have followed it since my college graduation so I'm rather familiar with the whole thing. And for my hardcore theologically-minded readers, keep in mind that I'm trying to make this accessible to readers from all backgrounds, so refrain from trying to critique my critique.

Emergent started from a group of churches trying to do ministry in a postmodern world. But during the past few years it's become much much more. Those involved began to explore theology and church history, seeing if the way we've been thinking about God/Jesus/Church was actually Biblical or societal. The source of the debate raging now among "Emergents" is how far can you go to make the gospel acceptable to the masses.

What really brought the issue to the forefront of evangelical discussion was Brian McLaren's book, A Generous Orthodoxy. McLaren, a literary professor turned pastor, is seen as the lead voice of Emergent. He enjoys questioning everything in an effort to stimulate discussion, but in doing so he's offended many conservative pastors and theologians. And since Emergent won't come out with any official kind of statement of faith, they invite more criticism.

For another insider's perspective on Emergent, read Tony Jones' defense of it here. Tony is national coordinator of Emergent and has been trying to deflect the heat that McLaren is taking for his views. Unfortunately for Tony, his best efforts have brought even more controversy. Definitely check out the Emergent website to get a feel of what they're about.

There are, however, some opponents trying to make a distinction between Emergent and emerging churches [you might not think capitalization would mean much but, in this discussion, it's making a world of difference]. These people are all for being missional [missionary-like, or adapting the gospel to our culture], but are leery of doing at the expense of Biblical authority. Mark Driscoll, pastor from Seattle, offers up an explanation of this view here, and Ed Stetzer, church planting guru, has an objective critique here. Also, D.A. Carson has written a book against Emergent entitled, Becoming Conversant With The Emerging Church.

These people against Emergent believe that the movement is nothing more than a rehash of liberalism. Whether or not this is true, there is a bigger fight abrewin'.

I have opinions about all this that I will keep to myself for now in keeping with Michael's request. But I hope this helped.