Review: A Church Falsely Accused

I posted on Pastor Bill Wininger, who stands accused of molesting a child or perhaps several children, back in the 90s. He wrote a book back in 1995 called, A Church Falsely Accused, It is a first person account of how the author and his church survived allegations of child sexual abuse that took place in 1992. The allegations arose from the bus ministry, where a bus driver was alleged to have given a child a special hug. I read the book yesterday in an about an hour.

A Church Falsely Accused by Pastor Bill Wininger
Copyright 1995, Revival Fires Publishers
Hardback, 166pp. $11.99

The book is an easy read. I think in part because it is a full-sized hardback with reduced-sized pages. Instead of a standard margin, each page has doublewide margins. It could have been written in 80 pages. There are 14 chapters, each of which is similar to the other, except for the chapter titled, May I offers Some Suggestions, which goes into specific recommendations to help other churches protect against allegations of abuse.

The author describes, in very general terms, an allegation of abuse lodged against a bus driver and a deacon. There is very little information on the actual accusations besides trivializing the accusations as coming from a child who had been hugged by the bus driver and pointing out that the child lived in a trailer park and was young. Instead, the author goes into what it is like to lead a church when the press is reporting on the alleged crimes and the community hates you. I read the book as a list of grievances, punctuated with bible verses and short sermons. Pastor Wininger stood by the accused and believed their stories without reservation. There was no mention of the alleged victims.

This was a story of outsiders (kids in the bus ministry) versus an established church which circled its wagons to survived and support the accused. Those accused were eventually found not guilty or had the charges dropped, so all of the support the church offered reads as the correct and godly thing to do. Plus, Wininger makes the story personal and talks about what it is like to be a leader besieged by outsiders and how he cared for the accused. I would subtitle the book, a whiners tale.

The chapter that makes recommendations was interesting in that I disagreed with each recommendation.

Recommendations:

1. Maintain a good records system: Since the church is focused on its bus ministry, it keeps detailed records for each child it picks up. The used a form in triplicate that captures data to show how many children are saved for Jesus. They used the data to disprove accusations by showing which dates children rode the bus and who was the bus driver. I understand why they do this. It a numbers game. They judge their success by the number of children that hear the word of god or are saved. Unfortunately, this protects the church from accusations, while it does nothing for the kids. The recommendation is worthless. If you must prey on poor children to boost your church numbers, then at least have a driver and a second adult. Use the two adult rule. No child should ever be left alone with an adult while at church or in route.

2. Educate your workers: The thinking here was that an overactive or disruptive child was the root of the problem. At least in this recommendation that actually state a worker should never be alone with a child, but as we know now, preventing child abuse actually relays upon supervision of adults and not unruly children.

3. Know What's Going On: This church actually has roaming bands of adults who make sure kids are in Sunday School classes and not paying in the yard. The message here is direct. Children need to learn about Christ. Instead of sweeping the grounds, these adults should be doing random audits of adults in the bible classes. The abuse happens when an adult is allowed to be alone with a child. Safeguards should be focused in this area and not in making sure kids are placed in risky classrooms.

4. Get Good Legal Counsel: Seriously? This protects kids how?

5. Deal Wisely with Authorities: The backstory here is the church feels it was abused by the police even though they did police appreciation events. Dealing wisely with authorities is an area I care about because it is the one that is abused the most. Christians use police inquiries to justify the "Christian under attack by Satan" justification for protecting accused pastors. I see it in store after story. Christians should cooperate fully with investigations into allegations of child abuse. There is no other story.

6. Have good insurance coverage: Really? This protects kids how?

The reader will notice that the church does not actually do anything to protect children from adults. Instead, the book is about protecting the church from accusations, which is wrongheaded. The book is also about a church and a pastor being victimized by accusations of abuse, and frankly, it is self-serving and used to justify a ministry process that preys on underprivileged children. I find the concept reprehensible and the book foolish.

Tea Tree Chewing Sticks and Keto breath

I am a Paleo convert. As such, my breath smells like road kill mixed with rotten apples. I need help, so I ordered Thursday Plantation's Tea Tree Chewing Sticks, which are supposed to help with keto breath. Chewing sticks are “Renewable Birchwood with Tea Tree Oil”. Be warned, they are actually high quality flavored toothpicks.

I tested using one chewing stick, my horrible breath and my poor son’s nose. After an hour with a toothpick hanging from my lips, my son tells me that I do not have bad breath. I call that a win.

The flavor is strong, pleasant and lasts a long time. I’ve been at it an hour and still feel the buzz of Tea Tree Oil. For anyone growing up in the 70s, think Harmon's - Hot Cinnamon Fire, but with flavor that lasts a long time. I miss Harmon’s toothpicks. I used to live on the things during summer as a kid.

Note:

This post is also posted at my new Paleo blog, Joe Eats Paleo. I’m trying to use the Paleo diet to get healthy and lose a bunch of weight in the process. Join me if you are interested.

Technorati Tags: Paleo,Ketosis,Keto Breath

A field test of Innova’s Blizzard plastic

I had a chance to play a round of disc golf with Innova’s new line of “Blizzard” discs this morning. Blizzard technology reduces the weight of disc because the plastic is full of micro-bubbles. The weight reduction moved discs that I cannot normally throw into my range. I tried a 135 gram Wraith and a 139 gram Krait this morning expecting a pickup of 30’ or so. I hit 30’ and then some.

The real measure of performance is your score. My typical score at my home course, El Dorado DGC in Long Beach, is within two strokes of par over 18 holes. I am a par player who gets an occasional birdie and one or two bogies per game. I am so consistent that my results are normally predictable. My best game is a –4 for a 50. A typical game is +2 for 56. My best score on the front nine is –3; for the back nine it is –1.

I played nine holes this morning. I scored a –4 for a 23, which is a personal best. I birdied holes one, three, six and eight. I can discount hole three as lucky because I made a 45’ putt for birdie, which is a 1 in 20 putt for me. The other birdies were normal putts (under 20’). I putted 27’ for birdie on hole four and missed. I putted 47’ for birdie on hole five and bounced off (after a 315’ drive). Hole seven was a disaster. I hit a tree with my drive and needed a 220’ upshot to save par. I landed within 10’ and nailed my putt. I did the same  on hole nine. Hole two was a good drive which landed behind a tree. I made a good position shot and then putted for par from 15’. It was a very good round.

I used the Wraith as the driver on each hole. I threw a second drive with the Krait for comparison. My distance pickup averaged 60 feet. The reason I hit four birdies and putted for two others is simple; I was pin high on each hole. The lighter plastic worked. I could throw the Wraith; the Krait, not so much. It was a tree magnet.

The distance was nice, but control issues caused me to miss target to the left by a large margin. I was usually pin high and 40’ to the left.

My average open-field drive is normally between 210 and 240’. In an open field test this morning, I threw the Krait an average of 275’ and the Wraith a stunning (for me) average of 315’. My longest drive was 325’, but I was helped by a huge jump off a concrete sidewalk. I do not yet have the control I need with either disc. I’m sure control will come with practice.

I’m heading over to Discover the World to buy the entire inventory of Blizzard plastic so my disc golf friends cannot get their hands on this stuff. That’s fair. Right?

Technorati Tags: Disc Golf,Blizzard,Innova,El Dorado DGC,Long Beach

Why do we do bless the water?

I realize that as a non-Catholic and atheist I do not have the inside dope on why religious people do the odd things that they do. Like this commemorative plaque outside of Casa Torres Mexican restaurant in Sylmar.

There is a small fountain outside the entrance. This sign hangs near it. Casa Torres is newly reopened. I assume this happened at that time. Why bless a fountain? We are not talking a big impressive fountain here either, the thing is better suited to my backyard.

Why would the City of Los Angeles offer this service? Why? And, why is this important? I think an outstanding Yelp review would do more to bring in business. God don’t care about the quality of your food.

It’s a damn good restaurant for Sylmar. The Casa Torres special is killer.

Technorati Tags: Questions,Catholics,Religion

Childhood memories and The Green Berets

As a child of eight or nine I was a troublemaker. I acted out in school and received lots of detention as a result. Detention was different in the 1969. Administrators made me sit on the grass with my back to a structural pillar while other children enjoyed recess. …and this was outside the admin building in front of the school, which was open to the public. I became so frustrated with that particular form of punishment that I devised devious ways to punish those who were torturing me. In one case I used pugji sticks.  I made them from toothpicks and bamboo skewers. I planted them around the other pillars. I don’t know if I ever actually skewered anyone. The things were pretty flimsy. It was the thought that counted. I was a mad little eight-year old.

Where did I get the idea? The Green Berets with John Wayne. I loved the film as a child and booby traps seemed like a great way to get back at annoying teachers and my sisters too. I watched the film again this weekend. It’s playing on AMC. There is a big difference between the movie I remember as a child, and the movie I saw as an adult. Frankly, I have no idea why I liked the movie. It was horrible.

Third grade was a terrible time in my young life. I was adjusting to a new stepfather. We have moved to a new house in a new city. I lost all my friends. Everything was new. Part of the move meant transferring from a bad school district to a good one. I was behind in every subject and felt stupid. My worst subject was cursive. I could not write or read in cursive. Every student in my class was a full year ahead and the teacher had no interest in teaching me the subject. She would put me outside of her class sitting by the door if I asked questions during her lessons. My frustration grew each time this happened until I fought back by peeing on her door. That’s when recess detentions started.

I know it’s 50 years to late to review The Green Berets, but I want to make a few points because your perspective changes with age and time. My eight-year old view of the movie is much different than my 50-year old view. Let’s start with the political slant – the damn movie actually promoted the war in Vietnam. It was not simple support, but over the top promotion of our involvement. The move staked out the position that America must be in the war. It was hard to stomach given what I know of the war now. It gets worse, the acting was silly. American Green Berets run though a field like fairies out to tend their magic garden. It was so unmilitary as to be ludicrous. It gets worse. Battle scenes went something like this: Bad guys line up over here. Good guys line up there. Now shoot at each other. Plus, I could swear that at points in the movie, like when Charlie overruns Dodge City, the soundtrack came from old westerns when the Indians would win a battle; complete with the war woops and all.

I was shocked at the lack of Vietnamese people in a movie about Vietnam. Heck, even the archenemy was a white actor made to look Vietnamese. Japanese and Chinese actors played all key roles. Most of the extras were brown skinned people, but non-Vietnamese. When you add in the fact that the majority of the film was put together in Georgia, which is decidedly not a tropical location, I had trouble believing that anybody would mistake the movie for a production about Vietnam.

The booby traps were childlike. I mean seriously childlike. They was almost as unbelievable as John Wayne surviving the helicopter crash with no injuries. The wall of spikes that killed SGT Peterson made me laugh. The trap actually whisked away the leaves covering the spikes before he was impaled on them… Who would do that?

We all know that the Green Berets are special forces. The movie shows them as barely trained boobs. SGT Peterson is a great example. His only skill is scrounging. He received zero training pre-deployment. Yet he was in every mission, functioning in a “highly trained” Green Beret unit. How did anyone come away thinking he Green Beret’s were special?

The final blow and biggest plot hole… the suicide mission involving the new commander of the Green Berets in Vietnam (John Wayne). Did anyone seriously think that a senior officer would lead a mission like that? No planning. No support. No special weapons. No intelligence assets. No exit strategy. Just put your head down and dive right in. It made the Green Berets look like untrained foot soldiers and their command a reckless fool. Plus, a retirement aged administrative officer would not be leading a rescue mission. They order others to do the dirty work. The whole movie was a joke.

I’m adding The Green Berets to my list of top ten worst movies. At least I learned about booby traps, although I’m sure I was meant to learn something different.

Technorati Tags: Reviews,Movies

The pleasure of good company

I had the pleasure of dining with fellow atheist and blogger Martin Williams. We met at Haven Gastropub in the City of Orange for a long of conversation on their heated patio. It was a warm and wonderful night full of great conversation and mediocre food.

Martin writes No 2 Religion. I consider him a comrade in arms.He reads what I write. I do the same for what he writes. We share similar political views, and I think we have the same laidback California temperament.

But I digress… the food was less than spectacular for such a high rated restaurant. I did not say the beer was bad though. What they offered on tap was refreshing. They should rename the restaurant to House of Salt & Suds.

I ordered their homemade potato chips to start. They were a greasy mess, and so salty I could barley taste the chips. I killed time while waiting for Martin by removing the salt from the chips. They were served with a garlic aioli that was neither garlic nor aioli. Frankly, it tasted like mayo. Oh well. Strike one.

Martin arrived late because of an epic car accident which actually made the local news. I killed time watching the locals and eating salty chips. Things were going well until the hipsters starting arriving. They came in pairs. There were lots of them. I’m not a fan of this inane cultural trend. Hipsters suck. Strike two – A restaurant packed full-o-hipsters will not attract foodies unless they are into watching pretentious kids.

Martin and I discussed all things atheism and almost everything else of shared interest; like photography. What struck me as odd was that the experience was not odd. I’m used to meeting very odd atheists. In almost all my past social interactions, I’ve been thwarted by nutballs. Be it the former Wicca now Goth couple hosting an OC event, the hater rantings of the backyard skeptics, or the sex cult nutball who, while dressed in white robes and walking stick, tried to convince me that he deserved worship and servitude. By contrast, Martin was normal, and a nice guy too. I genuinely enjoyed myself.

Back to the food and strike three. I ordered the lamb burger (onion jam, tzatziki, onion sprouts, rosemary brioche bun) – they forgot to mention salt in the ingredients. Oh my… the meat was a perfect medium-well, but the stuff that surrounded the burger tasted like it was rolled in sea salt. I ate the thing, but it did not satisfy. I prefer the lamb sandwich from the Lime Truck.  For those of you in Waco – we have trucks that serve gourmet food here in SoCal… I’m just saying.

What I took away from my experience with Martin is that I need to try stepping out of my protective shell more often. I must open myself to meeting more of my readers, and more of the local community of atheists. It can’t be all bad (it has been up to this point). I’ve even offered to speak at his atheist meetup group the next time I’m up on the central coast.

Where Haven Gastropub really let me down was dessert. I tried their bacon ice cream. I was ready for a foodgasm. Instead I needed water to clear my palate. No bacon. No bacon flavor, and no beer flavor in the brownie it was sitting on. There was no flavor at all really. Just salt. More salt than I’ve ever had on anything. It was horrible.

The final insult was the bill. Haven Gastropub is horribly overpriced. I’m going to call it 30% above what I would be willing to pay elseware. What can I say… I did not like the place. On the other hand, I feel like I’ve made a new friend in Martin. So, the night goes down in my book as a win. Thanks Martin.

Technorati Tags: Reviews,Atheism

Two new books I won’t read

I hate to say it, but I’m becoming more and more discriminating with my non-fiction reading choices. Two Christian new books will not make the cut.

In God I Trust by Brady Shackelford. The press release states that Shackelford came to Jesus via a mystical experience. I call bullshit.

In the memoir, Shackelford recounts God's message: "Night turned suddenly into day, and ... clouds rolled in from both sides of me at lightning speed. ... a booming voice spoke out from the clouds. It said, '...Things will turn out well for you. However, early in your life, things are going to happen to you that are going to hurt you deeply. Learn from them, and they will turn you into the man that you are going to become.

Source: New Memoir 'In God I Trust.' Relates One Man's Special Experiences with the Divine

I think I can safely write this one off as self-important pap. Shackelford also inhabits the nutball fringe of Libertarianism. That’s the people who simultaneously espouse the libertarian principles while at the same time pushing evangelical Christian themes. Kind of like Ron Paul with his stance on evolution, Roe v. Wade, and his bizarre stance on gay marriage.

The Darwinian Delusion by Michael Ebifegha. By first clue that this book is not worth my time is the title. Anyone who reads The God Delusion and counters with an attack on evolution, did not read the book. The next clue is the re-definition of the terms microevolution and macroevolution.

The author extensively researched the subject matter for this book over the course of three years. In particular, Ebifegha is critical about the use of ambiguous terms such as microevolution and macroevolution and proposes new terminologies that lead to correct interpretation of the scientific evidence…

Source: Darwinism Is a Delusion, According to New Book

Oh hell. This is a clear case of another nutball writing a book. Ebifegha is a self-published nutter paying for his own press releases and pushing an overt and crazy agenda. Read Self-Published Genius #13: Vanity Reviewed! for more hilarious information.

Technorati Tags: Book Reviews,Nutballs

Photo - we bad

I’m sure taking photos while I’m driving is a crime, but I can’t resist. People but odd stuff on the vehicles, I must shoot. I’m further compelled when I can capture some of the urban ugliness that makes up most of Los Angeles.

I shot this with my Nikon D7000 and a new AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED. I was testing the ‘active mode’ of the lens’ Vibration Reduction technology. It is supposed to reduce the blur associated with shooting while driving. I shot this at 1/60 while doing about 30mph (with one hand no less). I think the VR technology works just fine.

The lens runs about $585 and is an upgrade over the AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G ($179), which I had and beat to death over the last couple of seasons.

Technorati Tags: Photography,Nikon,Nikkor,Lens

Review: Bamboozled by Timothy Aldred

I write this with a heavy heart. I hated the pseudointellectual musing of self-published author Timothy Aldred. Is hate too strong a word? I don’t think so, especially not in this case.

Bamboozled. Besieged by Lies, Man Never a Sinner.
How world leaders use religion to control the populace.
By Timothy Aldred.
Self Published in 2011
ISBN-13 987-1461063599
ISBN-12: 1461063590

Let’s start with the author. He’s stalking me. He sent me his book back in May. I read it and found that  I could get not behind it. It took me awhile too. Each chapter was a different trip down the rabbit hole. I had trouble following his reasoning, I often could not even understand the points he attempted to make as he offered no evidence besides his rambling text.

Did I mention stalking? He’s sending me emails and tweets demanding that I “do the right” thing and send his precious book back to him. I normally return books if the author includes a SASE. Otherwise, I read and chuck, or read and post a review. I post reviews  for books by Atheist authors that I feel that I can support, or I post reviews for books by Christians that I want to discuss. In this case, it was read and chuck. I did not want this book cluttering my bookshelf. In the back of my mind I thought, “What if an FBI profiler saw this sitting on my shelf?”

Why would an author demand his book back? I’ve had 44 books and videos sent to me this year. I try hard to read them all. Most are unsolicited. Publishers send them along with collateral advertising material. I’m on a list or something. Most books are bad or worse, uninteresting. I either promote the book (usually at the request of the author or publisher), or I review it if the book is worthy. What sets the bulk of these books apart is editing. Most have a good editor, Bamboozled does not. It’s self-published and from what I can tell, self-edited. This is a problem, especially when the book is a bundle of conspiracy theories rapped in religious misdirection.

I looked hard for other reviews. I found two at Amazon. I could not find any other bloggers willing to spend time on this book. I know why too. The book is not worth the time. Don’t buy it. Don’t read it. It’s a waste of time.

And finally, because the author insists that I return his book. I’ve concluded that he does not know how the process works. If he does not know the process, I’m guessing he’s leans toward the nutball crowd or is un-publishable because he occupies a niche on the fringe. So, I’ve added him to my nutball list. I’m sure he will be in good company.

Is this review mean spirited? Look. I try to help. I really do. If I don’t like a book I don’t review it. I’d prefer not to do the negative reviews. If you push me for one. Screw it. I’ll post a negative review.

Technorati Tags: Book Reviews,Nutballs

Foodgasm - Damascus Grill in Denver

I don’t really know where to start on this review. I liked everything about the Damascus Grill. I found it on Yelp while looking for a quick meal near our hotel after flying into Denver last weekend. It was highly rated and my wife and I love Middle Eastern food. We drove the five miles to Littleton and found an unassuming building. We were immediately welcomed by a friendly hipster host. It’s a family owned place and our host was proud to explain that the recipes were handed down by his grandmother. This turned out to be true too. The flavors in the food were distinct and unique. I’ve eaten a lot of Middle Eastern food. This is among the best I’ve found in the United States.

I was a surprised to hear Matisyahu playing as the house music. Matisyahu is a Hasidic Jew and reggae artist. I’m a big fan. Yet the Damascus grill is a Muslim establishment. When the music changed to Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven, I asked our host about his choice in music. Our host was amazed that I knew of Matisyahu and went on to gush about how the music transcends culture and religion and makes him feel one with the rest of humanity. I could not argue with that, I’m an atheist who has seen Matisyahu in concert and owns every song he’s ever made. I think he’s a wonderful artist. 

The good vibes transferred to the table. We started with grilled mushrooms ($5.95). I could have ate a complete meal of just this one item. They were delicious. I’ve tried countless recipes myself. All fall short. These are the best grilled mushrooms I’ve ever had. I must have the recipe!

We completed the mushrooms with the pickle plate ($4.95). It’s full of pickled cucumbers, olives, and turnips.  I munched my way through it in happy pickle bliss.

Since it was a lunch visit we opted for sandwiches. I had the Syrian sausage sandwiches($5.95). My wife had the Lamb & Beef Shawarma ($6.45). It was at this point that the full on foodgasm entered the picture. The taste was so overwhelming we had to take breaks between bites to keep our systems from shutting down.

I highly recommend the Damascus Grill. Give it a try. You will not be disappointed.

Technorati Tags: Restaurants,Reviews,Foodgasm

New book - why we believe in gods

I was sent a review copy of this book. It’s next in line for read with a review to follow. At 144 pages, I don’t expect it will take too long to read. The forward is by Richard Dawkins.

why we believe in god(s). A concise guide to the science of faith. (Pitchstone Publishing, June 2011) By J. Anderson Thomson, Jr., MD with Clare Aukofer. 144 pages.

From the press kit – Thomson and Aukofer draws on the most up-to-date research, along with studies stretching back to Darwin, and revels how religion took shape in the mind, and has kept a hold on it.

“We now know how and why human minds generate religious belief,” Thomson explains. “We’ve put together the pieces of the puzzle and expose the mind’s mechanisms that produce supernatural beliefs, the idea of souls, the notion of gods, and all else that built religions large and small.”

From Sam Harris:

“Andy Thomson, with Clare Aukofer, has written a wonderfully concise introduction to our growing scientific understanding of religion. If you would like to learn, in the span of an hour, why we have every reason to believe that God is man-made – this is the book to read.”

About the authors:

J. Anderson Thomson, Jr., M.D. (Andy) is a psychiatrist in private practice in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is also a staff psychiatrist at Counseling and Psychological Services at the University of Virginia Student Health Services and the Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Dr. Thomson’s current research interest is in the area of evolutionary psychology and using its principles to understand depression, suicide terrorism, and religious belief.

Clare Aukofer first collaborated with Andy Thompson when both were at the University of Virginia’s Center for the Study of Mind and Human Interaction. For more than a dozen years she was editor of Helix, the quarterly magazine of the University of Virginia medical center, and director of communications for the medical center.  She has won numerous awards for writing and editing and her biography has been included in several variations of Marquis “Who’s Who.”  A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she is the youngest of seven children and the product of twelve years of Catholic education.  She lives in Charlottesville, VA.

Technorati Tags: Atheism,Religion,Book Reviews

New book from the creator of Eternal Earth-Bound Pets post rapture pet rescue

Bart Centre, aka Dromedary Hump, is at it again with his release of his second book, The Atheist Camel Rants Again!. I can’t wait to tear into this book as I thoroughly enjoyed his first book.

The Atheist Camel Rants Again! (ISBN 1460933915), a collection of short diatribes by Bart Centre, features 100 new essays of topical insight that seek to uncover the contradictions of religious teaching…

…the author weaves personal narrative with current events and philosophical insight, all mixed with satire, sarcasm and humor to provide an enjoyable learning experience. Intended to engage, inspire and amuse, the book is appropriate for a broad range of readers.

The author is a frequent and welcome visitor here on Deep Thoughts. I’m thrilled at the chance to read and review his new book. I’ll be sure to post a review soon. Until then, click on the picture or the link to purchase a copy from Amazon.

Technorati Tags: Bart Centre,Dromedary Hump,Books,Reviews

Two more books down

It’s been a slow year for reading. I’m behind my usual pace. I finished The Power of Full Engagement by Loehr and Schwartz last night on my Kindle and Start with Why by Simon Sinek on Audible. Both were good books, although I have trouble recommending the Power of Full Engagement because it is largely repackaged content from a dozen other books I’ve read from the last 10 years.

I’m starting to enjoy Audible. I drive a lot these days. Audio books are an easy way to read while navigating around the Los Angles freeway system. I’m learning to pick my readers carefully though. A bad reader makes for a boring book no matter the subject matter.

Of the two books, Start with Why was a fun read. I enjoy looking behind the scenes of large corporations. I work in a billion dollar division of a multi-billion dollar company. The stories of big company culture resonates with me and make it easy to translate the material into action. I found myself asking why I do the things I do. I thought this was helpful in guiding my team towards doing the right things. I also uncovered a few misguided projects that were not inline with my why.This was helpful and worth the price of the book.

The Power of Full Engagement explores individual performance through the management of energy. The book focuses on making small changes to behavior that result in large changes to performance. I like the concept. I’ve even used it myself for a few years already. But the book touches on the metaphysical “Sprit” a little too much for me to warm up to. I can tell you that some of what they authors’ write about works miracles (the non-god kind of miracle). Recognizing behaviors that are blocking your potential or that are damaging your health, are key factors in changing your life for the better. If you need help with that, this is your book.

Both books are available via the Amazon links.

I’m not sure what my next read will be. I’ve got ten books queued up on my Kindle and three credits with Audible. I would like a recommendation if anyone has something I might find interesting. I’m reading business books at the moment, but I am open to almost anything.

Technorati Tags: Reading,Book Reviews

Foodgasm - Umami Burger

I’ve been on a diet for a few weeks now. It’s called slow carb, and it works like magic. I’m feeling better every day and losing weight too. I get on cheat day once a week. I don’t stray too far from the diet, but I like to try something new when I get the chance.

I was shopping for photography books at Hennessey + Ingalls on Saturday. Umami Burger was the next shop over in the Space 15Twenty complex of trendy businesses.

We took a seat on the couch and waited for our Umami burgers to arrive. My wife ordered onion rings to accompany here meal while I ordered the pickle tray. We had no idea what we were in for. I guess the presence of hipsters and some minor Hollywood celebrities should have tipped us off.

We were hungry and wanted a quick burger. We ended up having a foodgasm instead. I was so hungry that I did not even take a photo of the food. How do I know we had a foodgasm? Back in 2004 my good friend Richard and I had a foodgasm while eating at Le Grand Véfour in Paris. I captured his expression on film. I saw that same look on my wife’s face when she bit into her burger. A moment later my eyes rolled back in my head as I sighed contentedly. The umami burger is one of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten.

Do you want to see what a umami burger looks like? There are plenty of photos at the Umami Flickr group.

The prices…

• Umami Burger $10
• Onion Rings $3
• Pickles $5
• Ice Tea $2.5

We spent $33 not counting tip. Which puts it in the low end of the pricy category for a lunch.

Portion size is small. This would not be a place I take my volume eater friends (Kenny – I’m talking about you). The burger is smallish (smaller than a quarter pounder), and the sides are also small. The price does not correlate to quantity, but I think it correlates to quality. I was not hungry when I left, despite only eating one burger and a few pickles. Just to put things in perspective, I paid $16 for a burger, a pickle, and a glass of iced tea.

The onion rings were good, except for a small quality problem. They left the inedible onion skin on our batch. It’s a little embarrassing when you need to pull a 5 inch piece of onion skin out of your mouth. Of course, I ate around it. The serving size is small. Expect only 3 or 4 large rings per order.

The pickle platter was amazing and delicious. It contained just about everything you can pickle. I tried my first pickled tomato (not so good), and my first pickled okra (wow!). Plus peppers and pickles of various varieties.

I’d give medium marks to the staff. Our waiter was a bit of a dork, which made the meal awkward. I don’t know why he stood there waiting for us to decided what to eat after we told him we needed a few minutes. We actually had to tell him to leave. How often does that happen?

The place was packed with people. I enjoyed the people watching almost as much as the meal. The two hipsters in the photo at the top of this article game me no end of laughs with their inane conversation. The couple before them (on the the right) were practically making love to their food. It was hilarious.

The shot to the right shows the food lovers discovering that fellow Foursquare user Mojoey has checked in and was sitting right across the table from them. He was one of six people who checked in during our visit.

I saw a financial reporter from CNN in the crowd. My wife saw a minor actress. The place was full of trendy people and hipsters. My son Jon would have hated it.

Yelp has Umami Burger at 3.5 stars. I’d have to agree. With the quality problems and odd staff, the overall experience was not perfect. But the burgers were worth it.

I recommend Umami Burger. The food is great. Enjoy your foodgasm.

Technorati Tags: Restaurant Review,Burgers,Umami,Hollywood

Related articles

• dinner @ Umami Burger (foodtable.wordpress.com)
• Umami: Why Chefs Shouldn't Rely on the Fifth Flavor Alone (time.com)

Thoughts on murder and a book called Focus

I started reading Focus by Leo Babauta last Thursday. By Friday I had decided to follow Leo’s advice and disconnect from the web for a few days. I stopped checking email, Facebook, blogging, and Twitter by Friday evening. I slipped a few times. I made a few Twitter posts during a few off moments, mostly during during meals via Foursquare. But that was it. I achieved my goal of disconnecting and felt pretty good about it. Late Sunday night my wife commented that it felt like we re-connected this weekend. I felt the same way. Focus is a great read. I highly recommend it.

Disconnecting had its price. I missed the murder and mayhem associated with the attempted assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. It was hard to pass up the feeding frenzy, but pass I did. Instead I listened to a few news reports and tried to come to terms with the different thoughts running through my head. My first thoughts were a reaction to violence. I abhor violence. It makes me ill. While the story unfolded I thought of the families involved and the pain they must feel. It is not something I ever want to experience.

I understand why people pray at times like this. I felt no compulsion to pray, none at all. Instead I felt small and helpless. My heart broke a little as the news described an unnamed nine year old victim, and again as the death toll increased. It’s a gruesome process waiting to hear news of the dead.

I have a lot of friends in Tucson. I was worried about them. I wanted to do something to lessen my fears but chose to let my fears go. There was nothing I could do. I would find out about my friends in due time.

At some point early on my wife asked me who a thought was capable of an act like this. I told her it was a nutball or a true believer, or both. She asked about motivation and I moved toward politics and the Tea Party. I knew enough about the situation to understand the Sarah Palin and her ilk had pointed the full power of the Tea Party straight at Rep. Giffords. I felt the connection – nutball, true believer, and Tea Party. I don’t think I was too far off the mark. I forgot racist.

I’m interested now and I’ll follow the case until it fades away. It’s the politics I’m worried about. The Tea Party and it’s rhetoric have me worried. I think both sides will use the event to rally their troops – but the Tea Party will continue to sew hatred and discontent no matter what happens. And that’s what really makes me sad. The future looks bleak unless we stand up to their bullshit.

Technorati Tags: Murder,Politics,Tea Party

Ever eat at Pink's?

It started off as a desire to have a good hot dog. I won’t eat a Nathan's hotdog. It’s a long story involving Las Vegas, whisky, rum, and tequila. Let’s just say… well no, never again. So Pink’s is really the only option if you are looking for a good hotdog here in beautiful Los Angeles. But to eat at Pink’s takes a commitment. In my case it’s a 45 minute drive through LA traffic, plus a 2 hour wait in line, and then a fight for seats. You’ve got to want it real bad. But its worth it. Pink’s dogs are yummy.

The menu is interesting. I had the Guadalajara Dog ($3.85)– relish, onions, tomatoes, topped with sour cream. and a Mild Polish Dog (4.30) - mustard, chili onions. Oh, and a side of heartburn.

I don’t normally order the sides, the fries and onion rings are good but I’ve never been able to eat more than a handful without getting an upset stomach. They are too greasy for me. I was tempted to order a side of bacon ($1.40) just because I could, but passed in favor a a bottle of water and 3 orders of onion rings (for my guests).

Pink’s has problems. For instance, the seating is insane. With limited tables and a large crowd people hog tables an hour or more before they will be eating. This ties up tables so lots of people end up standing up to eat. I watched a guy sit a table for an hour without eating. He was sill waiting when my party left. The only advice I can give is be aggressive. Fight for your table or you will end up trying to eat a messy chili dog while standing, which is not fun.

The other problem – they don’t make a So Cal street dog. Street vendors all over Los Angeles make a bacon wrapped hotdog smothered in grilled onions with hot peppers. It’s the unofficial hotdog of So Cal (and I love them). I guess you could order one because they will make anything, but it pains me to see them missing from the menu.

Pink’s is a cash only business. So bring cash and quarters (to pay the parking meters). Pay a visit the next time you are in town. They are open until 2:00 am weeknights and 3:00 am on weekends. Its about 100ft north of Melrose on Le Brea. Just look for the insane line.

Technorati Tags: Foodgasm,Hotdogs,Foodies

Best lengua taco in the OC

It’s that time of year again. I started looking back at my year to figure out what was good and bad in my life. I had plenty of bad this year, flying to China, and the massive time I spend stuck in LA traffic top the list. Not to mention picking up a stinker of a project at work. Fortunately, there are lots of good things from 2010 too. One of these was the discovery of a decent lengua taco right around the corner from my house at Belinda's Authentic Mexican Food. I’ve been a fan of of beef tongue tacos for a few years now. I first tried them in Acuna about 6 years ago. After I got past my cultural inhibitions I found the meat to be my favorite filling for a street taco. Belinda’s does it right. I could go on and on about this delicious treat, but lets just say I’m having a foodie’s love affair. I could eat them every day.

Belinda’s is full of good Mexican fare. I love the tortas, and their soups are great too. Stop in and treat yourself. It’s at the corner of Orangethorpe and Valley View in beautiful Buena Park. You will not regret it.

Technorati Tags: Food,Tacos,Restaurants

Nikon D7000 initial review

I was given a Nikon D7000 as a gift last week. I’ve only had a day or two to play with it, but I can honestly say it will make a great back up for my D300. The High Resolution 16.2 MP DX-format CMOS sensor is new to me. I’m not sure what advantage it offers. I’ll have to experiment with it to find out. I found composing and shooting quite fun though, The camera is easy to use.

The camera came with a Nikkor AF-S 18-105 3.5-5.6G ED lens. I have not used it yet as it is too slow to use for indoor shots unless I push the ISO. The lens has a smooth zoom though, so it should be effective for my urban ugly work.

The most noticeable difference between the D300 and D7000 is in its mode selection options. The D7000 comes with Programmed Auto, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority, and manual, so I’m not going to have too much trouble. I live in AP and SP on the D300. It also comes with Auto Modes, which include Food Mode and a dozen others, like Pet Mode and Child mode, which I think are geared toward the novice. Another selection option is Scene Modes which offers the promise of optimized settings depending on your shooting situation (I’ll believe this when I see it). The final two mode settings are U1 & U2, which store customized shooting settings. These last two modes are a neat feature that I’ve already found helpful.

I put my 50mm on for a few shots at a local restaurant Saturday morning. You know that guy that shoots every meal he eats – that’s me. I shot a few pictures of my omelet and pork sausage as an experiment. The results were mixed. I needed my flash. The lighting was horrible. I had some trouble with focus control as I had not yet read the manual and as a result I do not know how to choose spot focus. The camera performed well though, despite the photographer.

Switching to Live View is much easier on the D7000. It’s a simple thumb flip instead of a dial setting. Of course there are tradeoffs. ISO and WB are harder to set, the same goes for picture quality.

I found the out of the box setting horrible. The camera was set to Low picture quality, auto ISO (very annoying), and the white balance was off. But that’s expected with a new camera and part of the fun of experimenting with a new piece of equipment. 

I’ve been confined to shooting inside here in Los Angeles since it’s been raining for three days. I want to head outside and wander around shooting but I do not want to get my new equipment wet so I plan to wait until the rain passes. When I finally get outside I’ll get a better feel for how to use it. I’m tempted to start shooting my wife as the gets her groove on with Dance Central, but – well that would be suicide.

I’ll post more images and comments as I get more use from this wonderful new camera. Stay tuned for more. Oh, and I only get sausage once a week, so every piece is sacred.

Technorati Tags: Nikon D700,Cameras,Reviews

Book Review: Hitch 22

I started Christopher Hitchens’ memoir Hitch 22 over a month ago. My normal book-a-week pace came to a grinding halt when I realized that I was not worthy to the task of reading it. His  is clearly above mine. His literary references are unfamiliar, and for the most part, the people he mentions are only marginally known to me. And, he’s much smarter than me. I compare the experience to my recent stint as a graduate student trying desperately to understand a required text by doing secondary reading, looking up unfamiliar words, and reading history for context and background information. I did the same with Hitch 22. I read it on a Kindle while sitting at a computer with a notebook. It was active reading. I looked up each new word (114 in total), and each book, person, or event mentioned. It was tough going, but never a slog. I created a “HitchDeck” in my iPhone’s flashcard application to help me keep track of the new words.

A good book teaches us about ourselves. Hitch 22 taught me that I may have wasted my life. When I look back at the choices I’ve made, the jobs I’ve held, and my general lack of interest in all things beyond reading science fiction and my own small little satisfying world, there is simply no comparison to the life he writes about. I don’t feel less of a man for it, no, instead I admire the difference. Hitchens was working for the cause of socialism at an age when I was fixing aircraft and had no understanding of the concept of socialism beyond what I had learned in a high school civics class. He was traveling the world at an age when I was biking to work to save a few pennies. He attended some of the best schools in the world while I barely graduated from high school and had no ambition for higher education. It’s all relative, my awaking happen at age 35, I’ve been playing catch up ever since.

I will be surprised If you can read Hitch 22 without examining your own life. That’s what makes it different and what also makes it unique. I don’t normally think this deeply when I read, and I honestly enjoyed doing so. I also enjoyed examining his life, while at the same time, examining my own. But I most enjoyed examining his thinking and his development as a thinker, which is truly different than the average Joe, and I’m willing to bet, it’s different than many of his peers.

If you are looking for insight into Hitchens’ atheism, you may find some stories that will enlighten, but you will find far more for which you will marvel. His atheism is lifelong and infuses his life and experiences. It is easy to see the link between his hatred of the totalitarian state and the absolute power of religion. They are two side of the same coin and rise repeatedly as themes throughout the book, often linked as in the case of Saddam Hussein and his late move toward fanatical Islam.

Watching his development as a thinker is inspiring. He learns by doing. Iraq is a good example. He went early and often. If he wanted to know what was really going on, he reached out to friends or jumped on a plane and then border hopped into the heart of the story. How many people have the drive to do this? I would venture a guess that few people who are not paid reporters on assignment take the risk just see see what is happening on the for themselves. His notebooks served to document his experiences and synthesize his thinking during his excursions. He is a reality driven thinker who digs for facts by personally experiencing important events and that sets him apart from most of his peers.

His gradual move from the political left to the neoconservative right was the real story. We started by leaning about his political thinking and his alignment with the socialist left. Chapter after chapter builds toward a war driven drift toward the right, based on self-analysis and the examination of friendships with influential thinkers on the left. How many of us are rational enough to look closely at what we believe and then walk in the other direction when the facts lead us there? I would like to think I am, although besides my move to atheism I have no proof. I realized that I had not been critical enough in my political efforts. That my focusing on the corruption of Republican politics by the religious right, I had closed my mind to the illogical positions of the political left. I listen while the left blamed the terrorism of 9/11 not on Islam but instead on the policies of America, and that we had somehow asked for the attack by way of our policies. I knew this to be wrong at the time, but did nothing to challenge it, nor did it enter into my thinking. In the end, I can honestly say that I took notes while reading Hitch 22 and took note of my own failings too. I will not let this go again. Few books touch me in his way. Most simply skim across my mind leaving a few seeds behind. Hitch 22 planted a garden.

What is missing is the deeply personal – his relationships with his own family are skipped over in such a way that the reader is left with the impression that they played no role in his life at all. We learn very little about his family life, his loves, wives, or children. There is no behind the scenes look at Hitches-the-romantic unless we count a brief foray into sex at single gender British boarding schools. We get no insight into how his profession affected his family or how his family played affected his professional life. With his days numbered, my guess is this task will fall to his biographer. I dare say he rates a good one. We also are allowed to see very little of his writing technique. Besides a brief description of his hard working  and hard drinking routine, and his pride in never missing a deadline, we do not see how he manages this besides simply understanding that he writes 1000 printable words a day.

There is a chapter near the end where we learn about Hitchens’ impact on the life of a young American soldier and the soldier’s family. The story is a poignant reminder of the power of writing. I won’t spoil it here, you must read it for yourself. I will say that what we write can be important to other people. In fact, it can be life altering. I’ve experienced this through interactions with people on my blog, and for Hitches it was apparently a defining moment.

I spoke with my dear friend Rich today. We exchanged opinions on Hitch 22, he was brought to tears by the soldiers story, while I was merely choked up and had some dust in my eye. When is the last time a non-fiction book made you cry?

Buy the book. Read it.

Technorati Tags: Hitch 22,Book Reviews,Atheism

Book Review: David Trotter’s Lost + Found

Lost + Found, Finding Myself by Getting Lost in an Affair by former pastor David Trotter is a self-published memoir about a local pastor from an influential church and his subsequent fall from grace because of an extramarital affair. It’s an easy read but I fear my time would have been better served by finishing the more challenging Hitch 22 by Christopher Hitchens.

I am not somebody who should offer writing advice, so these next words may seem funny to some of my readers. I could tell the book was self-published by the numerous spelling, word choice and punctuation errors. My advice is to hire an editor and clean it up before the next edition. If I can see the errors, they will be glaringly obvious to a reader with better skills.

I found the story of Trotter’s fall superficial. He was verbose and effusive in describing his distance from his wife and his boredom at work, but he left out whole swaths of content related to his decision making process. It was nice (and necessary) to know that David no longer found his wife interesting or that their relationship was unfulfilling, but there was no analysis of his failure. It was interesting to know that he worked hard for many long years to build a church, and that as a result, he was burnt out. What are missing are the connections to his role as a pastor and the apparent loss of connection to his passion for God. How did he come to a point where he could turn his back on the moral teaching of his faith so callously as to assume that God was in his corner during the planned seduction of another man’s wife and his eventual dishonoring of his marital vows? My read shows a sophomoric “God wants me to be happy” attitude from a seasoned and accomplished pastor. It does not reconcile and feels inauthentic, no, if feels dishonest. How was he able to reconcile a life spend in service to God with the moral turpitude which followed his immature, selfish and even willfully hateful separation from his role as a pastor and husband? It feels like he left it out on purpose so that he could have a path back to the pulpit.