I was watching a TV show about the history of Las Vegas and Penn of Penn and Teller (you can see their faces everywhere around here) explained the theory behind why there will always be a Las Vegas. Vegas, he said, was entirely based on drawing people from around the world who are bad at math and since that’s a renewable resource there will always be a Las Vegas.

Oh, and did I tell you that I saw a man in the wee hours of this morning carrying his girlfriend piggy back into a hotel while his pants were falling down? That’s why there will always be a Vegas too.

Anyway, loved the sunshine, loved the temps, loved being able to walk outside without looking like the Michelin man. I called my mom this morning and found out its 5 below farenheit in Minnesota.

Sigh.

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, says that millions for contraception in the economic stimulus package will help save money by keeping the surplus population down.

For another alternative I suggest going here.

Everything. Your hard drive. Your information. Your writing. Your soul?

More support for the hypothesis that a moral crisis lies at the heart of our financial woes.

An article worth reading.

An article with video (rough and grainy because it was taken by a cellphone) related to a 2006 phenomena/miracle when the waters of the Jordan river reversed their flow following being blessed on Theophany. Very interesting, and apparently this is not a one time event.

Check it out and tell me what you think.

On Paradise and Hell in the Orthodox Tradition.

What do you think?

On the fear of doing nothing in the current economy…

A lot of our economic troubles could be solved if we could just keep our emotions in check. Seriously. It seems that fear, greed and the thirst for power have swept the country like an airborne virus. The fear of doing nothing rules the day — not logic, not study, not knowledge or analysis. Certainly not patience. Our leaders, whoever they are, are acting like third grade schoolchildren who have been told by their teacher that a snake is loose in the room. And by the way, wouldn’t you like to know who that teacher is? Who is in charge?

Honestly I believe our financial crisis is, at its core, a spiritual and moral crisis, the markets reacting to the weirdness of a culture obsessed with wealth, consumerism, and bereft of the historical moral precepts that normally would have kept some of this in check. People have no idea what is right or wrong, they have only their possessions and their ledgers to help them make sense of things and these are very fallible guides. Jesus is right, we have gained the whole world and lost our own soul, and remarkably because of it we seem to be losing the whole world as well.

I think we have two choices. The first is the one the government seems to be taking, pumping money into the very structures that have failed in the hope that if they have more they will do better. The hope seems to be that if you give a thief enough money they’ll stop stealing. The other is to come to terms with the moral, social, and spiritual insanity of our culture, and take steps to abandon it in favor of those principles of human life that have stood the test of time. We can print as much cash as we want but what is truly in short supply is common sense, humble hearts, and people who realize they’re not gods.

Next week my wife and I will be off to Las Vegas. Ahhhhhh vacation!

I’m not much of a casino guy, in fact the bells ringing and the feeling of being trapped like a rat in a maze when you just want to walk through is annoying. Plus, quite frankly, I’m too cheap to give just someone my money for the privilege of pushing a button or looking at cards in a place where they give you free booze to loosen you up and the odds are already stacked against you.

But I do love the desert air and moderate temperatures in Las Vegas this time of year and tons of Nevada sun. I find no charm at all in cloudy weather except when it needs to rain and then move on. I lived in Kansas for a year as a Baptist pastor and the best thing about Kansas was the big open sky. Las Vegas can be like that and since they figure I’m going to blow my money they give out cheap flights and hotel.

They’re in for a surprise, though, when they see us two thrifty folks walk right on by the machines and tables and straight on over to the Star Trek museum at the Hilton. Maybe we’ll drop into the M and M store for some treats and the Coca Cola store for a pair of Tab socks for my wife and then we’ll rent one of those little electric cars for a trip up and down the Strip and some light watching. Mostly, though, I just want to stand outside in the sun.

Someone will be staying at our house to care for the cats and since my computer will be along I’ll probably blog away wearing a wild Hawaiian shirt, funny tan shorts, and whatever other garb shouts out “tourist” in the most conspicuous way.

Viva Las Vegas!