Collected posts from the various blogs I’ve contributed to since 2002.
Local First is a promising new brochure encouraging support of local businesses in Grand Rapids. You can get a free drink at new wifi location Global Infusions and a whole range of other coupons if you pick it up (or download it). You will of course have to overlook the fact that their web designers are based in New Hampshire!
To go with the previous, lengthy entry, perhaps a link to a cartoon is called for?
I commented at some length on this post on Ed’s blog and now, having had time to digest the article he links to, I thought it worth expanding here. In “The Rebel Sell”, Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter efficiently dissect much of what passes for ‘anti-consumerism,’ noting the pervasive irony that most attempts to opt out of consumerist life are really about opting out of a life defined by mass-produced consumables into one defined by a less brand-driven but equally consumerist aesthetic. ...
I’m surprised that the BBC’s NewsWatch hasn’t been picked up by more blogs. I had been entirely unaware of it until I spotted the small black logo nestled at the bottom of another BBC News page. It’s a meta-news site, providing a log of corrections to BBC stories and notes about BBC coverage, and a representation of the BBC News 24 show of the same name. Increasing visibility of this site is probably timely, appearing in the context of recent hoaxes and the ongoing debate about the license fee. But whatever the context, this is one of the things the BBC does very well and a great resource to have available. ...
I’ve added a feature to my Grand Rapids WiFi site to allow you to check which locations are open now. It’s part of the forthcoming ‘search by opening times’ feature. I’m not sure if I’ll announce it on the site until the rest of that feature is completed, but I thought it worth mentioning. “Of By 4” have a post about United Nations reform which I have commented on, suggesting that maybe my United Nations Charter site could develop to include some space for discussion of the UN. Let me know if you have an opinion on that. ...
MercyCorps.org has a story on the lastest developments in the One Campaign. If you can step beyond the rather irresponsible statement by Mike McCurry (chairman of Grassroots Enterprise, a senior adviser to the Kerry campaign and former White House spokesman.) that: President Clinton cancelled the debts of the poorest countries – with encouragement from Pat Robertson then it’s well worth a read. It’s definitely good news that the campaign is trumpeting the power of such issues to unite people across the political divide, if disappointing that such spin has to creep in (Clinton’s administration, while more progressive than its predecessors, did very little to address the global debt critis). ...
I have been working on a number of new pages for Calvin College Admissions.
GRWifi.net continues to evolve. New features are being added monthly.
Well, not really (a reunion that is, thank goodness). Instead, a quick mention of the fact that The Guardian today picked up on the fact that former Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell has signed to “christian” label Reunion Records. The article is brief and not particularly insightful, but it does bring us the gorgeous note (in linking to some CCM lyrics) that: they’re much funnier than anything we might say to satirise them. ...
Salon.com today ran a fascinating piece on 24-7 Prayer’s work in Ibiza. It’s a lengthy but worthwhile read (should you have a salon account…) The article does a great job of giving a real insight into the motivations of the teams 24-7 sends to Ibiza each summer. It manages to give a sense of the way that while they have a clear agenda that is in opposition to many of the chief draws of Ibiza as a holiday destination, they are not seeking to condemn and are genuinely interested in building relationships, and in enjoying the more wholesome sides of Ibizan life. ...