Emily

Emily, our former roommate, professor and author has launched a blog full of book reviews, reflections on human rights and teaching. I've included some of Emily's poetry here before.

Emily is one of the most talented writers you will ever meet. I am looking forward to reading her thoughts.

Swine Flu

I went home from work early today with a headache, I've been asked by 3 people since then if I have swine flu? Seriously!?

Anyway, in case you're wondering, here's a website that will help you decided if you have swine flu or not.

And here's a joke that made Noel fall out of his chair at the coffee shop last night:

They once said that a Black man would only be President when pigs fly. 100 days into his administration - swine flu.

In a more serious direction, friend of the Stevens House, Richard, asked this question the other day on his site:

Has anyone seen anything about sending aid/medicines or in any way helping Mexico deal with the outbreak. Right now they seem to be the only country seriously affected, and in being a pretty tourism-dependent country, is probably also hitting the resources that they will need to deal with it

So far no one has commented. Have any of you seen anything?

Ok, now back to homework.

ICE CREAM!

The Stevens House went out for Ice Cream last night. We used some of the penalty money that people contribute when they don't do their chore for the week. We're so lucky to be able to live with people who can just have fun with each other from time to time. I came home feeling sick, but it was deliciously worth it.

links - race, education and the environment

Happy day after Earth Day!

Noel, Bethany and I are getting a double plot in the community garden this year, this morning I planted pepper seeds and onions on our porch that I'll transplant when they get big. I'm really looking forward to this!

Here are some links that came up in my google reader, on facebook this week:

• Newsweek had an article last week comparing the experiences of African American Princeton alums from the 1960s with those of their daughters at Princeton today in a "post-racial bubble."
  

• Ed G. shares his take on it on the reconciliation blog.

• Speaking of Princeton, The Kitchen Table, a blog by two African American Women professors at Princeton, Yolanda Pierce has an article about the micro-aggression of racial profiling while shopping with her daughter. Seeming to contradict the idea of a "post-racial bubble" (let alone society).

• Also on The Kitchen Table, Mellisa Harris Lacewell has an interview with Majora Carter, on environmentalism in the South Bronx, and what racial oppression has to do with environmentalism.

• And speaking of environmentalism, César J. Baldelomar has an article on God's politics on the Social and Religious Effects of Global Warming. Among other things, I hadn't considered the effect Global Warming might have on global poverty and therefor immigration before. It's worth a read.

• Related to Global Poverty, my students, volunteers and I will be participating in the 30hour famine this weekend, or as one of my students likes to call it, "That Starving Thing." Pray for us, the students are raising money to fight hunger overseas, and collecting food for Simpson Food Shelf, here in our neighborhood.

• Finally, on our topic of race and earth day Fox 9 had a story about Popeye's offering an Earth Day Special on fried chicken. The Minneapolis franchise (the only Popeye's in MN, and just a few blocks from our house) didn't honor the promotion. Is it just me, or does this story seem to be set up so that others can laugh at stereotypes of African Americans in the city? Should I send channel 9 a letter? (Also, I'm not sure what fried chicken in plastic bags, served with rice in styrofoam containers has to do with Earth Day, but that's not my point.)

We're gonna win Twins!!!!

One of the fun things about living in our house is that we're just minutes from Downtown.

Saturday Night, as part of Katie and Michael's wedding celebration a group of their friends and family went to celebrate at the Twins game. MN won, and it was fun. I grew up going to games with my dad and my sisters. I used to know how to keep score, I've since lost those skills, but it was great fun to go to a game.

Here's Katie, showing off her wedding ring, while Rosita, Angie and I celebrate with her!

No deep thoughts today, just that I enjoy baseball when I remember that I enjoy it, and I enjoy my friends too.

Photo is from Angie McKinney.

Remembering How We Became - A Toast to two Katies

I pulled this picture out to be my facebook profile pic today and it got me in a super reflective mood.

First of all, you should understand that hardly anyone in college called me anything but my last name.
There were at least 11 different girls named Katie (this doesn't even count girls who went by "Kate") in our InterVarsity group, and so it just didn't make sense, (Flavin, Buker, Odeegard/Moore, Whipple, Matson, Seth's Katie, Platner, Potter, Higgins, Lo, Frantes, I'm sure there are more and if I left you out I'm really sorry).

This is a picture of three of us (Peterson[Flavin], Matson, and Buker)

Tonight my friend Katie Lynn Buker is getting married. Katie Peterson and I and many others will be there to celebrate.

These women had a huge role in shaping the trajectory of my life. So I thank them and I raise a toast to them.

A toast

To Katie Flavin Peterson: Katie and her husband Aaron organized a trip to Jackson, Mississippi my Sophomore year of school. That trip changed my life. Each morning we would sit in Bible Study with John Perkins or Lowell Noble. We learned about the muti-ethnicity of the Kingdom of God. We learned about justice, mercy, shalom. We raked yards, tore out drywall, played with kids, and painted. I came alive on that trip, I will always always always be grateful for Katie and Aaron's leadership.

Katie was the dorm ministry coordinator when I lived in the dorms as a sophomore. She was a Jr. and a great person to talk to and process stuff with. Her enthusiasm and servant leadership style rocks. This woman will blow your mind.

Katie is a fellow blogger and we keep up by reading each other's blogs, and facebook, but I can't wait to see her tonight. She lives in Duluth with her daughter Matea and husband, which isn't that far away, but weddings are really the only time we get to connect.

Now to Katie Lynn Buker (soon to be Moore): My Jr. Year of College, I spent the summer interning with InterVarsity and New City Fellowship a Presbyterrian Multi-Ethnic Church, doing community development/urban ministry in St. Louis, Missouri. While I was in St. Louis, Buker was in Chicago doing the same thing with Lawndale Community Church.

We were both changed forever and needless to say, coming back to campus at UMD was a bit of a shock for us both. Buker and I learned to rely on each other that year, we hadn't had the same experience, but we had had similar experiences and it would have felt very lonely that year with out her.

Buker is the queen of asking hard questions. You can't hide from her. Katie Buker is a person who helps us live the Christian life we are claiming to live. Katie lives far away on the East Coast, but I'm blessed every time that I get to see her again.

SO - Here's a toast to two of the women who shaped who I am today.

Congratulations Buker!!!

quick and random

• Happy Easter! I'm embracing my liturgical side and my Catholic heritage and claiming Easter for a few weeks.
• The Bishop preached the sunrise service at Park Avenue and spoke about forgiveness and diversity, racism and reconciliation in giving evidence for Easter in our lives. It was really good and hopefully we'll have audio online soon. But it got me to thinking a lot.
  
• Speaking of racism Eugene Cho has a good commentary on the senators in Texas asking Asian Americans to change their names for voting on the God's Politics blog. This is just crazy.
• Spring is really here I'm putting air in my tires and biking to the gym. Bike trails are one of the best things about Minneapolis. And did you know that Metro Transit has coupons for bicyclists for "free guaranteed rides home?" if you get a flat tire, or the weather gets bad, or you have a family emergency, they'll send you two coupons every 6 months. I'm signing up today.