Crazy Billboards

My brother Chadwick (blog) and I often let each other know when we see weird/funny/idiotic or insightful church signs. Church signs are often times the most public signals a church has for evangelism in its community (when the congregation's actions won't speak for themselves). Things like "This church is prayer conditioned", or "What's missing in CH_ _ CH?" (the implied U R).

However, there's a church in the St. Louis area (and I believe this isn't the first place this type of advertising has been tried), which is pretending to be Satan ridiculing a local church in order to be 'edgy' enough to gain new followers. The Jefferson Hills church (link to other blog discussion) is making sure the message doesn't get confused. Whatev.....R

Pasta

Reading an article the other day, I ran across a reference to an alternate explanation to intelligent design creationist theory. I am sure some of you have heard of it before, but it is very simple, having to do with a deity named the Flying Spaghetti Monster, who created all via his Noodly Appendage.

Seriously folks, this is great stuff, and props to the man who made this crap up. But rest assured, that's what it is, crap. In case you're keeping track, I still believe God made the earth, and the account in Genesis is the explanation of that event happening.

However, I am comfortable with some sacrilege, provided it is utterly ridiculous, as this is. If you desire to learn more about this irreverent nonsense, do so at your own risk, but here's the link ;).

Pastafarianism (The church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster)

New Charitable Business Idea - Not Communism

While seeking my MBA from a reputable business school Saint Louis University I am constantly trying to think of new business opportunities that fall in line with my beliefs (Christianity). This idea came to me on my drive home from class the other day.

I'll have to confess, it also came as part of renegotiating my family's monthly utility bills (cable and internet), which I do every once in awhile to make sure I'm getting as good a product as possible while paying the cheapest price.

Why can't a business be based around giving profits away? I know capitalism has a firm hold on America, but I can't help but think it might not be the only way. Churches seem to be a great example of this, providing a service (literally) to parishioners for a market-determined price (to keep their doors open people give a tithe, determined by that person's ability/guilt). Another example of what I'm talking about includes discounted/used clothing places such as Goodwill or Salvation Army stores.

However, most of these outfits operate on a model which requires them to be dependent upon goodwill or charity of those in a position to do so. I'm proposing that a business exists to both serve the purposes of creating a market share and gaining customers, as WELL as giving back all profits in the form of charitable donations or hand-outs to the poor.

Such a business would pay everyone working for it a reasonable amount (no golden parachutes for CEOs, no grandiose pay deals either, and no extraordinary R&D profit sharing). Engineers coming up with new ideas would get paid what engineers at their skill level were expected to get paid, as would CEOs and everyone else. This would still permit a reasonable amount of innovation to keep the company running, as well as keep profits flowing to people in need.

Being experienced with Linux and other forms of free software, I have to assume with the knowledge base in the world these days, innovation would almost be guaranteed to happen, even in a free/cheap form.

Instead of financing a business with an IPO or something similar, the business would either start out as a hobby, or else as debt, being financed by a bank. So there would be someone making money off the business created (the bank charging interest), however it would be ordinary and expected, instead of all profits going right to the pockets of greedy shareholders.

I think a business of this form would experience tremendous competitive advantages, including customer goodwill, employee goodwill, public goodwill, as well as cost savings for not overpaying for things done as expected.

I'm still trying to formulate other problems with this system, but I think it sounds alright.

Give me a Theme macky

I am looking to develop a personal slogan that I feel best embodies the virtues I put forth as a human being. Please help me in this endeavor by replying with a personal slogan or jingle that you think best suits me, and I will try to endorse it (after it meets my rigorous quality testing).

Who determines what people say about us when we're dead? We do! To some I may be cheap, to others not kind, to others I may be a wunderkind (able to do anything ;) ), and to few I may be a philanthropist (hehe).

In any case, I'm not sure I like what I'll be pegged as if life were to stop at this moment for me, and that's sad. While I'd like to change it, and have people think of me as a caring, selfless, thoughtful man of faith, it may not be easy.

We are partly born into roles, partly creating our roles, but otherwise very hard to sway as we mature. People say "oh he's very ____", or "that's not like him", but do they really know? People know what they see, and by doing that discount a person to exhibited acts. We give God tons of credit, mostly because of the actual, cold-hard facts from evidence of events which took place. However, we also give him an edge or nod of goodwill personality, believing that we know him well enough to afford our opinion of him a little added extra charm. (note: to say that God has charm may in fact be belittling him, but that is not my intent)

All I'm saying is that in order to die knowing that my life events are in order, I need to bring those around me as close as possible. They need to know how I actually think, instead of taking my comments and actions at face value. I know this may be hard, because sometimes that is all they get, but then they should deem themselves unqualified, and seek a closer authority (or closer relationship with me). I want to be close with people, and am with few (this should change too). I want to improve what people think of me, especially if this requires positive change.

Anyways, this is what I want to strive for, being a better person. That doesn't mean that I believe I'm a bad person, it means that I need to do a better job of advocating the goodness that is a part of me. This may require improved communication skills, so I will seek those, but I will also try not to obfuscate my internal messaging with unfortunate timing of inappropriate humor, and try to make sure I let more of my good thoughts come to outward actions.