Ain't Complicated

100K+ in Zambia

For when you think your life isn’t fair:

The government of Zambia says over 100,000 children die every year before reaching their fifth birthday. Poverty, starvation, abuse, and AIDS are the most likely culprits to steal their lives.

Kids Alive International began a project in Zambia in 1999, with a visit by members of the Kids Alive Canada Board who were aware of the devastating impact of the AIDS crisis on the children of the country.

Today, Kids Alive Vice President of Operations Matt Parker says their ministry is helping to provide hope and a future for these kids. They have six children’s homes, three community schools, and care center programs in other parts of Zambia. There's always room for more. “We were recently given land in Mongu, in western Zambia, by the government. We’ve just opened our first children’s home on this piece of land.”

The dedication of the home took place just six weeks ago, and it provides a safe refuge for 18 children who were on the streets before being rescued.

Source: The light of God’s Word changes community

And here am I, having had over ten times that much life.

With well over ten times fewer problems.

God bless those who serve these little ones!

What’s an Inspector to Do?

It’s hardly unusual to hear small-business owners gripe about licensing requirements or complain that heavy-handed regulations are driving them into the red.

So when Multnomah County shut down an enterprise last week for operating without a license, you might just sigh and say, there they go again.

Except this entrepreneur was a 7-year-old named Julie Murphy. Her business was a lemonade stand at the Last Thursday monthly art fair in Northeast Portland. The government regulation she violated? Failing to get a $120 temporary restaurant license.

Turns out that kids’ lemonade stands — those constants of summertime — are supposed to get a permit in Oregon, particularly at big events that happen to be patrolled regularly by county health inspectors.

Alas, the Wild West is no more. We’ve been conquered by the fear of bugs. 😯

Franklin is also organizing a “Lemonade Revolt” for Last Thursday in August. He’s calling on anarchists, neighbors and others to come early for the event and grab space for lemonade stands on Alberta between Northeast 25th and Northeast 26th.

Yup. Tea parties have become too common, too passé. But surely they can come up with something more poetic and exotic than Lemonade Revolt. Puh-leaze! How about Lemonade Lulu, for instance? (Yeah, I know this is Oregon, but why not go Hawaiian?)

As for Julie, the 7-year-old still tells her mother “it was a bad day.” When she complains about the health inspector, Fife reminds her that the woman was just doing her job.

Way to go, Maria (aka Mrs. Fife). I commend you very sincerely for reminding Julie (aka Miss Murphy?) of this.

Like I ask in the post title, what’s an inspector to do…when laws and regulations collide with…uh…horse sense? 😆

Julie Murphy, unlicensed business woman in Oregon

But what’s with this headline?!

Portland lemonade stand runs into health inspectors,
needs $120 license to operate

Maybe Julie was illegally operating a mobile lemonade stand…and ran down the inspectors…and now she must get a $120 license…before she can operate on the inspectors. Hey, you gotta hand it to the little gal — she tries to clean up her messes.

🙄

Go get ’em, Julie!

PS: A closing warning to non-Oregonians: When life gives you lemons, don’t bring your lemonade stand to our fair state. (Thank you.)

Hazy Sun

Yesterday morning I went out to unchain the dog.

I saw the sun rising on the just and on the unjust.

I shot the sun.

And the van and the door and me and the floor and the boxes.

Hazy early-morning sun reflects off our van

It also reflects off my pate!

Here it is, sneaking in through the somewhat-ajar door.

Having sneaked in, it climbs boxes from Rod and Staff Publishers.

Many cheers for sunshine!

Note to Sarah Palin

Re: That comparison you made between Governor Brewer and President Obama

That was coarse. 🙁

And particularly so for a woman.

And even more for a Christian woman. (I see you told Time that you’re a “Bible-believing Christian.”)

Just a thought: Next time, use guts or backbone instead.

The Web, Your Secrets, Your Number

Far too many people just don’t care about online privacy. Maybe you’re one of them. And maybe I don’t care if I spit into the wind on this subject. Again.

Hidden inside Ashley Hayes-Beaty’s computer, a tiny file helps gather personal details about her, all to be put up for sale for a tenth of a penny.

[…]

The Journal examined the 50 most popular U.S. websites, which account for about 40% of the Web pages viewed by Americans. (The Journal also tested its own site, WSJ.com.) It then analyzed the tracking files and programs these sites downloaded onto a test computer.

As a group, the top 50 sites placed 3,180 tracking files in total on the Journal’s test computer. Nearly a third of these were innocuous, deployed to remember the password to a favorite site or tally most-popular articles.

But over two-thirds—2,224—were installed by 131 companies, many of which are in the business of tracking Web users to create rich databases of consumer profiles that can be sold.

The top venue for such technology, the Journal found, was….

I was surprised.

Maybe you won’t be.

Dictionary.com

Amazing!

The top venue for such technology, the Journal found, was IAC/InterActive Corp.’s Dictionary.com. A visit to the online dictionary site resulted in 234 files or programs being downloaded onto the Journal’s test computer, 223 of which were from companies that track Web users.

It’s a long article, but I highly recommend it to you: The Web’s New Gold Mine: Your Secrets

Lebanon: Christian Emigration

Middle East. Good news. Mutually exclusive words? Maybe not.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Lebanon’s ruling party issued a call to save the Christian communities of the Middle East.

Ahmad Hariri, secretary-general of the Lebanese Future Movement, said he was “extremely worried about the repercussions of the Christian emigration from some Middle East countries.” Speaking at a press conference marking the closure of the Future Movement’s founding congress in Beirut, the key political figure added that “nurturing the Christian presence [in the region] was an Arab and Islamic responsibility as much as it is a Christian one.”

Greg Mussleman with Voice of the Martyrs, Canada says, “You’ve got the moderate Muslims that don’t want the more militant ones taking over. Keeping the Christian presence there is positive for the country. They’re good citizens.”

Christians used to be the majority in the nation. However, Christians have lost their majority due to decades of emigration and the high birthrate of Muslims.

[…]

What about the church in Lebanon? Mussleman says, “It’s not strong. There’s a lot of ‘religion’ mixed in there. It’s not a strong following of Christ. They need to be a stronger witness for Christ.”

How will this announcement affect Muslims turning to Christ? Mussleman says some moderate Muslim families won’t care. “[With] the more militant aspect of families with Islamic roots, regardless of what the law is, they may still persecute and kill and do all sorts of things. But at least this is a start.”

Source: Christians protected in Lebanon?

Bibles in Iran

Christians in Iran are remaining faithful witnesses, even at the risk of death.

Vision Beyond Borders said that in some house churches across Iran, believers conclude their service by praying over New Testaments. Then, each believer takes seven New Testaments with them, handing out at least one copy each day to a non-believer.

In this radical Muslim country, if they were caught, the punishment would be death. However, they are willing to lay down their lives to spread the Gospel.

In fact, instead of letting the persecution dissuade them from being bold witnesses, they are letting it fan the flames of a revival spreading across Iran. With current oppression in the country, more Iranians are looking for answers other than the ones they have always been fed, and they are finding these answers in Jesus Christ.

Source: Believers in Iran risk their lives to give Bibles