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Introduction To The House of Carr
Introduction To The House of Carr

Children Of Men

Last week I took the opportunity to catch a movie in the theaters. This itself is an event considering I saw only one film all of last year [albeit just a month ago]. Additionally, I went by myself. I never go to movies alone. The first, and only other, movie I went to alone was a bio of Martin Luther. I think I'm liking the solo experience. If I had been a little braver in my younger days, I might have tried this more. Anyway, the film I chose to see was Children Of Men, adapted from a novel by PD James. It was released somewhat silently at the end of last year in limited venues and hit broad audiences just last week. I had read a couple of reviews that sold me on it.

It's an interesting premise. Thirty years from now there's an infertility epidemic; the youngest person in the world is eighteen years of age. A world without children has gone crazy, and only Great Britain has escaped total anarchy [no, it's not a comedy]. England, however, is inundated with refugees, many illegal aliens, who are the target of mass persecution. When a young refugee girl is discovered to be with child, action is taken to remove her from the country to insure the child's safety. What ensues is a futuristic nativity story where the birth of the child is the greatest event of a generation.

The movie was powerful, masterfully filmed and brilliantly conceived. It's heavy on language and violence, so definitely not for the faint of heart. If you can't get out to see it, file it mentally for a DVD rental. It's worth it.

On The Clock

So now that we have the DVR I decided to get back into 24. We watched the entire first season [before it was "cool" to watch] as I loved the concept. But we stepped away in season 2. Kel's not a huge fan of all the gore, so it wasn't worth it. Now she doesn't have to watch it if she doesn't want to and I can fast-forward through those scenes. My opinion so far: it is what it is. There's so much hype surrounding the show but let's call it what it is: a soap opera with testosterone. I still think the acting is over the top [what's up with Chloe?] and that the sequences are pretty predictable.

Still, I'm going to give it another chance.

Jack Bauer is pretty cool.

postscript: Then again, after watching the entire episode, I never watched a soap opera where the nuked LA.

What My Alma Mater Doesn't Understand

This might come off as harsh, but it's about time I start being more forthright about Cincinnati Christian University. I love the school immensely; I have two degrees from there, was employed by the school for 2.5 years, and was President of its Alumni Association. Despite any disagreements I might have with certain aspects of the school, I continue to be dedicated to its ministry and mission. That being said, let me show where they're not getting it right.

As I opened up the Enquirer's webpage this morning to check out what's happening in the city, this is what I see:

Nice little banner ad at the top there. As my wife was driving to work on Tuesday, she got behind a bus with a CCU ad on it [sure, it was a lame reference to "Deal Or No Deal" but noticeable advertising nonetheless]. There are also numerous billboards located around town selling the merits of our humble Bible college.

This is a huge step up. When I worked in recruiting there, our advertising budget was limited to what I could photocopy on a 8.5 x 11 piece of paper. I constantly had to tell people that we weren't a seminary for priests. So the branding effort enacted over the past few years is working. Enrollment is at an all-time high.

But what do you do once you get the people enrolled and on campus. How do you treat them?

Seth Godin had an interesting post about this today, reflecting on an experience he had with his small town's city council. The part that stuck out to me was this assertion:

"People don't renew or cancel their cell phone service because of the ads (the ads that might have gotten them to sign up in the first place.) They do it based on the service and the way it makes them feel. And people don't vote to re-elect a candidate because of her debate performance or speeches."

Back to CCU. Enrollment is up and that makes it appear that things are better. But I've heard of many horror stories from current students that they don't have the support staff to handle the increased number of students. They can't get access to their financial aid or registration info. So while more people are coming to campus than ever before, does it help the overall image of the school if they have a horrible experience? Of course not. Actually, it's even worse because you've opened up new avenues in which you name can be defamed.

My solution: I'd prefer that they now scale back the advertising campaign and use the remaining funds to work on infrastructure. Add enough staff to facilitate the enlarged student body in order to give them the best college experience they could imagine. Then you create happy alumni base that will do your advertising for you. That's where long term success is built.

I don't write this to open up a bash fest on my college. I know such a post will invite many people to unleash their "CCU sucks" rants. I'd rather you not. While the school does have its flaws, its still a great place that God is using in a powerful way to affect the world. I just have to call it as I see it.

Anyone can put butts in seats, especially if you dump enough money into advertising. But its what you do once you get them there that makes all the difference.

Ha ha!

Kaelyn's developing well. We continue to teach her sign language and she now understands the following signs: milk, bath, yes, no, and bye. If she had to, I think she could get a job. In addition to this, she continues to work on her sounds. Recently she's been immitating us when we do a few certain sounds. If something on TV makes us laugh, she'll laugh. She also has a gutteral-type of laugh that sounds like "he-he-he-he-he-he." If we do it, she'll respond

It's really cool.

But my favorite is a sigh that she's started doing that sounds just like Nelson on the Simpson's. For those who aren't Simpson's fans, first repent, then listen to what it sounds like here.

Smart baby or smart-alec baby? You decide.

Bend It Like Beckham's Wallet

So about David Beckham's forthcoming $25 million contract with the MLS's LA Galaxy: do I think this will change the perception of soccer in America? No.

One player a soccer team does not make. Everyone likens this move to Wayne Gretzky going to the LA Kings. Yeah, how's the state of the NHL today? They play their games on a cable network that no one knows or even gets.

I love soccer but I've come to accept that it will never be an American game. We live within two hours of a MLS city and have only attended one game.

Get Ronaldinho in the MLS now, in his prime, and I might sing a different tune.

I Am Sick . . . Again

I like to think I'm one of those people that can't be held down by illness. But I'm not.

What started as a little cold last week has stuck around seven days. I haven't tasted my food in a week, nor can I inhale to tell whether or not Kaelyn needs a diaper change. This morning I gave in and called the doctor. He said it's a sinus infection/bronchitis thing that has sucked in my right ear tunnel and could cause me to lose my leg.

I made the leg thing up.

I know have a combination of three pills and an inhaler I'm supposed to use so I can get over this thing by the weekend.

At least it's not hepatitis.

A Bitter Pill

If you're not a college football fan, you're probably sick of my writing so much about it, but this is the last you'll hear of it until the fall. So one again bear with me. Late last night I told Kelly that I secretly thought the Buckeyes could lose that game. They were favored way too much. But I couldn't imagine that Coach Tressel would let his team come out so lethargic. And never would I have believed that Florida would take OSU to the woodshed.

That was the most dominent beat down in any type of sports championship I can ever remember. Let me know if you have any other contenders.

And I should note, before I get too far, that we watched the game by ourselves last night. If I were with other people they would've called the Price Hill Church of Christ to rescind my ordination certificate.

So why did the Buckeyes lose so horribly? My thoughts . . .

  • First, it wasn't because of speed. That's the dumbest thing I've heard repeated over and over in all the sports shows today. Florida wasn't that much faster. I'm sure if you looked at the 40 times of all these players, there wouldn't be that many differences. So we should just stop the stupidity that wants to laud the speed of the SEC champs.
  • What people interpreted as speed was actually the result of the inept defensive scheme that Ohio State used to match-up against the Florida offense. It was pathetic. The Bucks played the deep zone to keep the Gators from going over the top on them; they didn't want to get beat on the long ball [which Chris Leak really can't throw that well anyway]. So all they had to do was go five wide and eat up the zone with underneath passes. Do you remember how the Colts hammered the Bengals on Monday night a few weeks ago? It was the same thing. Florida never had the huge play. They just ate them up.
  • Offensively, the Buckeyes didn't get the running game going early. I'm pretty sure they went three straight passes in their first offensive series. A consistent running game has allowed the Bucks' passing game to open up. Then, when they were in the hole, the offense panicced and never got settled. Florida's defense took full advantage. Of course losing Teddy Ginn hurt, but I'm not sure he makes a winning difference. Speaking of which
  • That kick-off return might have been the best thing that happened to Florida. It made Ohio State even more over-confident [I let my pride get the best of me and made two phone calls after the fact] and it let Florida know that they could really play with reckless abandon. Florida came right back and never let up.
  • But overall, it came down to coaching. Tressel's staff was outworked by Urban Meyer's. Going for a fourth and one in the second half on your own twenty yard line? Gutsy if you make it, but it ended up foolish. Not changing up game plans at half-time when you're getting hammered? Unthinkable. I've said before that this team wasn't nearly as talented as last year's and this game exposed it. That being said, I'll be interested to see how the program recovers from this. That was a generational kind of loss.
  • But disregard all of these reasons because you can't explain away this fact: overall, Florida just flat out wanted it more. They came out ready to play.

Unlike many Ohio State fans, I've seen Florida play numerous times this year. And it must be said: that team never played so well. They were lucky to end the regular season with one loss; they should've lost three more games but those teams they were playing choked. They were consistently inconsistent, making foolish penalties and turn-overs. They were not better than USC this year. They were not better than Michigan. And they were not better than Ohio State.

Last night, however, they played flawless football- something they haven't done since the Spurrier days. But with no playoff, you don't have to be the best team. You just have to be good enough to win that one game. And last night Florida did it.

THE Ohio State Fascination

Let me explain myself to yourselves. There's been a lot of discussion locally the past few months about Ohio State bandwagoners- those who have cheered the team only since Coach Tressel reinvigorated the program. I'm thinking it could be true because the Cincinnati media have covered the national championship game much more this year than the 2002 title and we saw a ton of OSU gear in Hyde Park this afternoon.

I have no academic affiliation with THE Ohio State University, but if I only followed my alma mater's programs my life would be pathetic [nothing impresses sports aficionados like an NCCAA Division 2 championship appearance . . . in soccer]. During my development years I assembled my sports loyalties and have stuck to them rather religiously. In case you're scoring at home:

  • MLB: Reds . . . from birth. In the late 1980's, as the Reds were acquiring their many second place division finishes, I developed an affinity for the Red Sox.
  • NFL: Bengals . . . likewise.
  • College Basketball: UC . . . late 1980's, coinciding with Huggins arrival. I'll admit I liked Xavier better, that is, until Huggs arrived.
  • NHL: NY Rangers . . . late 1980's, my neighbor took me to an exhibition where I became a fan. So this was a few years before the 1994 Stanley Cup.
  • Soccer: Manchester United- mid 1990's, after the US hosted World Cup, I thought Eric Cantona was awesome.
  • NBA: Except for loving to watch Jordan play, I've never had a favorite NBA team.

Which brings me to college football. I always liked the sport, but growing up in Cincinnati, there wasn't much to cheer for here. So it was in the late 1980's that I declared my allegiance to Ohio State; I figured I lived in the state of Ohio, so that's good enough. I would watch them play every Saturday on the black and white television in the basement; no one in the house wanted to watch it, so I was relegated to the dungeon.

In junior high I proudly purchased a Starter jacket [remember those] that was a shiny gray with the letters "O-H-I-O- S-T-A-T-E" stitched to the front. It was awesome. I would watch players like Carlos Snow, a local product who went to a Cincinnati Public School dedicated to athletes [how was that ever legal]. I cheered for Kirk Herbstreit, an average quarterback who became a great football analyst. I saw an endless supply of incredible players come through the program: Chris Spielman, Joey Galloway, Terry Glenn, Eddie George, David Boston.

Those teams were coached by a wonderful man named John Cooper. He could recruit football players better than anyone in the country. Unfortunately, he never figured out how to get them to win the big game. As many of you know, the last game of the regular season the Bucks always play Michigan. In thirteen games against the Wolverines, his teams won twice, lost ten times, and tied once. Coopers first victory against UM salvaged and average season. His second victory was on the cusp of a loss to Michigan State, costing them a national championship.

Being a Buckeye fan at the end of last century was brutal. Three times in the 1990's OSU was undefeated until the Michigan game, in line for a national championship, and lost. Every year while in college I would bet a guy in the dorm [a devout Michigan fan] a pizza on the game. I bought him a lot of pizza.

Then . . . came . . . Tressel.

He knew both how to recruit and how to win. After being hired he appeared at the OSU/Michigan basketball game at halftime and stated, "I can assure you that you will be proud of your young people in the classroom, in the community and most especially in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Michigan." And he's never looked back.

So tonight, as I'm preparing to celebrate a second national championship in five years, I'm confident that I've never been off the bandwagon, so there was never any need for me to hop back on. I know who Earl Bruce is. I hate Desmond Howard. I even lived a summer in Columbus. So there's no need to question my loyalty.

With the Reds, Bengals, and Bearcats struggling, at least I have the scarlet and gray to rely on.

Go Bucks.

They Dey

First, let's be honest: the best off-season move for the Bengals happened yesterday when Bill Cowher retired. I hate all things Pittsburgh but admit to having a soft spot in my heart for old Iron Jaw. He is a fantastic coach and always made the most out of the least amount of talent [see last year's Super Bowl team]. Cowher owned the Bengals in his sixteen years with the Steelers. Of all current NFL coaches, he's the one guy I would want in Cincinnati without a doubt.

Speaking of Bengals coaching, I've remained silent since the devastating loss of a week ago. This past season was an enigma; I saw things this season that I never have seen before in my life: Justin Smith's bogus roughing the passer call against Tampa Bay [cost them the game], a blown 21-point lead against San Diego [cost them the game], Rudi Johnson's fumble and the botched PAT against Denver [cost them the game], last week's missed field goal against the Steelers [cost them the game], not to mention the numerous arrests [cost them more than they'd like to admit].

This season had messed with my mind more than that of any other Cincinnati sports team. The only thing I can compare it to was Ohio State under John Cooper: you knew they had national championship talent but they never acted like it.

The thing that's ticked me off is the way that many fans have turned on Marvin Lewis. They complain about three 8-8 seasons in three years, but they've quickly forgotten how sucky we truly were. Just look at the stats during Marvin's tenure.

  • 2003 [8-8] Jon Kitna was our quarterback. We played a cake schedule. If that team had played this year's schedule, they go 3-13.
  • 2004 [8-8] Carson's first year. Another average schedule for a below average team. That season the last game was against a Super Bowl bound Philly that mailed it in. They should've been 7-9.
  • 2005 [11-5] Average schedule. Team takes advantage of it and wins their division. IF [play along] Carson doesn't get hurt this is a Super Bowl team. Unlucky.
  • 2006 [8-8] Toughest schedule in the league. Of course, they still could've made the playoffs, but the defense absolutely kills them this year.

What I'm saying is this: schedule does indeed make a difference. The Raven benefited this year because they sucked last year. In the Bengals last Super Bowl appearance, their schedule was an easy one. But you can't blame it all on who they had to play this season.

Truth is, it pains me to admit this, the team isn't that good . . . yet. I really believe they're on the verge, but they desperately need some kind of defensive help to make it to that next level. But many fans are eager to jump off the Marvin bandwagon without looking at the big picture.

I say, give it another season or two. I'd be shocked if they're not a playoff team again next year.

We still have one of the best quarterbacks in the league. It's amazing that he bounced back to play like he did this year [see Dante Culpepper]. With Carson at 100% again, a team that was truly humbled this year, and an easier schedule, it'll all be good.

In Marvin I trust.

Yikes! [UC basketball edition]

Painfully, I endured UC's first half against Memphis on ESPN. Don't think I can watch the rest of it. In two network games this year [kudos to ESPN for shoving the unviewable ESPNU down our throats for the Crosstown Shootout] the Bearcats have gotten waxed. I fully expected this performance this year. A hastily recruited team decemated because of Bob Huggins' firing a year and a half ago meant that Coach Cronin really didn't have a chance this season. But I didn't expect it to feel this embarrassing. They might not make network TV next year at all.

I still think Mick is the right guy for the job, but it'll take another rebuilding season until they make the tourney again. It's just unfortunate that the Enquirer decided to run a front page story yesterday about how the team had a scholarship taken from them because of poor academic performance. The real story here is that the NCAA truly sucks, doesn't care about the students, and is penalized UC because a coach was fired at the beginning of a season. When Huggs got canned six non-seniors left early and it hurts UC's academic standing.

So now not only does Mick have to coach a mid-major level team in the Big East, but his hometown paper is rubbing in the fact that their academics are in trouble too. Ain't it wonderful? Doubt that the fact that this year's team had a 2.88GPA the fall quarter with no one failing a class will make the front page.

Any-woo . . .

UC's more likable in the underdog role. It'll take a little while, but they'll get there.

Postscript 1: if you notice in the new Kaelyn video I'm wearing a Kansas State t-shirt. It's not that I'm one of those die-hard Huggins supporters; it was a present from my father-in-law for Christmas. Xavier sure did take care of K-State last night. Maybe I jinxed them. Good gift, though.

Postscript 2: I did watch part of the second half. It got so bad that they cut away to a Pac-10 games. Yikes, indeed.

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By The Book

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Congress is now in session. I'm so relieved. A conservative columnist raised a fuss because Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, decided he was going to take the oath of office while placing his hand on a Koran. Many echoed the columnist's objections saying that this was a Christian nation and the oath was a slap to the face of our country's history. Actually, representatives don't place their hands on anything during the oath; they do it en mass, so it's much ado . . .

Ellision planned on taking the oath today while holding in his hand a copy of the Koran . . . a copy straight from Thomas Jefferson's library. Oh, snap. BUT if you're familiar with Islam you know that an English copy of the Koran is not authorized and is considered as "holy" as a Porky Pig comic book. That's why the irony is thrilling.

TJefferson, founding father who penned the Declaration of Independence [oh, and was President and is on the nickle], was a deist who played salad bar with the gospels to form his own kind of moral code. Yet two hundred years later we want to believe that these guys who led the rebellion against England were choir boys. And then we use that revisionist history to spout out ridiculous ideas like we're a theocracy.

Sidenote: I also find it interesting that we do the same thing with Scripture: we think the point of the Bible is to elevate and emulate the characters to hero status when there's really only one hero found in the pages [extra credit if you can figure out who].

Not sure what you want to do with all this, but if you're not ready for the new role of religion in American politics, get ready. The next two years will most likely redefine the past twenty-five years of faith's influence on our democracy.

The Butcher Of Baghdad

I'm going to admit something that might make you think less of me: I took time on my birthday to search the internet for video of Saddam's hanging. It might sound demented, but I was fascinated at the quickly fulfilled execution of the former Iraqi dictator. It caught me a little off-guard. I knew that Hussein had been convicted of approving a massacre and was sentenced to death but had no idea it would happen so quickly.

It seems like the circumstances surrounding the execution, the taunting he endured, as well as the hasty manner in which it was carried out, almost made Saddam out as a sympathetic figure. But an encounter I had a few years ago led me to view the man in a different light and, in turn, my recent Googling for video of his demise.

About four years ago, when I first started working at Christ's Church, I was involved in helping arrange different elements of the worship service. Coinciding with a message theme, we were looking to interview someone with an international view of the Christian faith. It just so happened that an Arabic family had started attending the church; they were from Iraq. We brought him in to do a preliminary interview in the middle of the week. I don't think I was prepared for his testimony.

His father became a Christian as an adult and reared his family as believers. Out of fear of the Islamic majority, they were forced to hide their faith and practice it in secret; Iraq wasn't a safe place to worship Jesus. The man told me about a Christian family he knew growing up. Soldiers showed up at their house in the middle of the night to take the men in for questioning. They never returned. This is what it was like to be a Christian under Saddam's rule.

So when the man had an opportunity to defect, he took it. He hadn't seen or spoken to his family in over fifteen years. He didn't even know if they were still alive. It was an eye-opening conversation. And it was the kind of testimony that the people in our church, some too comfortable in their own Christianity, needed to hear. But they never heard it.

The day the man was supposed to share his story he arrived for services an hour early. He said he wouldn't do the interview. He was afraid that someone who heard his story might somehow tell someone who could send word back to Iraq. If that were to happen, he said, his family there could be in danger. It was a risk, he said, he was unwilling to take.

And that's when I started to comprehend what it was like to live in a country ruled by a ruthless dictator. This man feared Saddam despite living on the other side of the world.

I know this story doesn't justify me trying to watch the man's death but it should add some perspective on the whole incident.

I Own '07

Like most bloggers I took the holiday off so I could recharge. It seemed like everyday during that break something came up that I thought would make an interesting post. So now I'm back and raring to go. I'll be spending the next few days covering some old news. Read it if you like, otherwise commense with breaking your resolutions.

Still Alive?

Yes, just enjoying a brief respite. Working out of the house is awesome except that it's difficult to really take a break. Our Vegas trip last January was relaxing but that was immediately followed by Kelly's hospitalization, Kaelyn's birth and my Hepatitis. Since then it seems like we've been going non-stop; I've been drooling over the prospects of this week for months. We always like to take off the week between Christmas and New Year's and the death of my grandfather added to the need for this break. Now that it's finally here, we've been living it up.

Tuesday we didn't leave the house and took down the Christmas decorations. Yesterday we left the house only to buy groceries. In that time we watched all of seasons one and two of The Office on DVD. It's feels great to do nothing but watch TV and do some reading.

And since the demise of the Bengals I've been on a self-imposed sports fast. I never realized how much I watch ESPN.

So not much to report here, hence, my blogging absence. I do, however, have some stuff I'm stoked about unleashing in the new year.

Start your countdown now.

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Enjoy Your Day

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I've been rather silent since the passing of my grandfather. I was incredibly busy and stressed, but we all made it through. I'm sure I'll write up a few thoughts about it later this week. As a Christian, Christmas doesn't mean all that much to me. Of course it's great to celebrate an event in the life of Jesus, but why don't we bring the same kind of passion to Easter [pun intended]? Regardless, it's a still a unique, fun time of the year. Good food, good carols, and the opportunity to see practically everyone in your family. We had a great time in Lexington and will head over to my parents this afternoon.

I guess this year was supposed to be different now that we have the little girl, but it seems pretty normal. She's still way too young to comprehend the difference and she's suffering through a cold [which hasn't damped her chipper attitude]. And even though Kaelyn doesn't fully appreciate it, all the family have loved seeing her struggle to open up her gifts. I'm sure she'll be much more into it next year.

So I hope you're enjoying your holiday. Blessings.