Kruse Kronicle

Saturday Links

1. Public Religion Research Institute: Survey | Do Americans Believe Capitalism and Government are Working?: Religious Left, Religious Right and the Future of the Economic Debate

2. Gallup reports Sub-Saharan Africa Is Wildly Optimistic About Its Future

3. U.S. could lead world oil production by 2017, study says

Domestic shale oil production could shoot up to 5 million barrels per day by 2017, making the United States the top oil producing country in the world, according to a researcher at Harvard Kennedy School.

4. Will Europe Hit a Demographic Tipping Point?

... In 1968 Paul Ehrlich’s doomsday tome The Population Bomb predicted mass starvation and civilizational collapse in much of the world due to overpopulation. But the more serious problem – particularly in traditionally higher-income countries – today is actually too few, not too many new people. The pivot to seeing this as the problem has come through something very basic: pension math. Across the developed world, public pension systems built on the assumption of continued population growth are now facing an actuarial day of reckoning as the bills come due while birth rates have plummeted.

A society needs a total fertility rate – that is, the average number of children born to each woman – of 2.1 just to maintain its population without immigration. Some European countries like France (2.03) and the UK (1.98) are in reasonably good shape, but they are the exception. The total fertility rate in Greece is 1.43, in Germany 1.36, in Spain 1.36, in Portugal 1.30, and in Poland 1.30. Much of southern and central Europe hovers near the so-called “lowest-low” rate of 1.3 in which the population is naturally being cut in half every 45 years.

Simple birth rates alone have caused some to posit a societal going out of business sale in Europe. However, just as extrapolation of high population growth rates in the past led to wildly alarmist claims that proved false, so today we must be careful about not proclaiming Europe is doomed. But with the population on tap to be halved every generation, the runway to turn things around is difficult to conjure. And while we’ve seen many countries make the shift from high to low birth rates, there isn’t a huge track record of success in the other direction. ...

5. Hunger Makes People Work Harder, and Other Stupid Things We Used to Believe About Poverty

The article includes this interesting graph:

6. Forget Microlending. India Needs Basic, Competent Credit Reporting - Businessweek

Development economists talk a lot about credit. Figure out a way to get it to people in a developing economy, rather than just large companies or the state itself, and you can encourage small-scale risk-taking. Microlending offers very small loans to individuals, often $100 or less. The idea won Muhammad Yunus a Nobel Prize in 2006. More recently, microfinance and mobile banking have offered ways to save and insure on a small scale, allowing people take risks with their own money. Speaking in Mumbai earlier this month, K. C. Chakrabarty, deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India, offered an additional way to expand credit: better credit reporting. No shepherds with phones, no happy mothers of four with new sewing machines. Just credit reporting, plain old attention to detail, and administrative competence.

7. Why We Need to Treat America's Poorest Neighborhoods Like Developing Countries

The article includes maps showing life expectancy across several metropolitan areas. Here is the one for my hometown, Kansas City.

8. Racial Disparities in Life Spans Narrow, but Persist

The gap in life expectancy between black and white Americans is at its narrowest since the federal government started systematically tracking it in the 1930s, but a difference of nearly four years remains, and federal researchers have detailed why in a new report.

9. The Unsettling Link Between Sprawl and Suicide

A new scientific working paper (spotted by Tim De Chant of Per Square Mile) contends that as population density decreases, the suicide rate among young people increases. This effect becomes particularly pronounced below 300 inhabitants per square kilometer — roughly the density of San Diego County.

10. Big Data, for Better or Worse: 90% of World's Data Generated Over Last Two Years

11. The one event that destroyed the PC industry

12. Tweets that got people arrested

13. Religion & Wikipedia: The 'Edit Wars' Rage On

Scientists have analyzed page edits in 10 editions of Wikipedia to determine the topics most often fought over by editors of the open encyclopedia. The most debated topics included many religious subjects, like Jesus and God, according to research done by Taha Yasseri, Anselm Spoerri, Mark Graham, and János Kertész.

Rather than merely citing pages that changed a lot, they identified pages involved in "edit wars," that involved editors making changes that were almost instantly undone by another contributor. This proved the best method of finding controversial pages, as pages often updated could simply belong to a rapidly changing field or topic. However, pages with words and phrases constantly removed and reinserted indicated a passionate disagreement surrounding the issue at hand.

The most controversial pages across all ten editions of Wikipedia were:

• Israel
• Adolf Hitler
• The Holocaust
• God

Other controversial subjects were Jesus, the Prophet Muhammad, and Christianity.

14. The curious case of the fall in crime

... Cherished social theories have been discarded. Conservatives who insisted that the decline of the traditional nuclear family and growing ethnic diversity would unleash an unstoppable crime wave have been proved wrong. Young people are increasingly likely to have been brought up by one parent and to have played a lot of computer games. Yet they are far better behaved than previous generations. Left-wingers who argued that crime could never be curbed unless inequality was reduced look just as silly.

There is no single cause of the decline; rather, several have coincided. Western societies are growing older, and most crimes are committed by young men. Policing has improved greatly in recent decades, especially in big cities such as New York and London, with forces using computers to analyse the incidence of crime; in some parts of Manhattan this helped to reduce the robbery rate by over 95%. The epidemics of crack cocaine and heroin appear to have burnt out.

The biggest factor may be simply that security measures have improved. Car immobilisers have killed joyriding; bulletproof screens, security guards and marked money have all but done for bank robbery. Alarms and DNA databases have increased the chance a burglar will be caught. At the same time, the rewards for burglary have fallen because electronic gizmos are so cheap. Even small shops now invest in CCTV cameras and security tags. Some crimes now look very risky—and that matters because, as every survey of criminals shows, the main deterrent to crime is the fear of being caught. ...

15. By 2030, Half of All Colleges Will Collapse

 

Saturday Links

(Like the Kruse Kronicle on Facebook if you want links to daily posts to appear in your Facebook feed.)

I hope you had a great Christmas and are enjoying the holidays.

1. The Huffington Post offers their top religion stories of 2012: 2012 Religion Stories: The Top 10

2. David Gushee reflects on Glen Stassen's A Thicker Jesus: Incarnational Discipleship in a Secular Age: The illnesses of American Christianity

"... The first kind of Christianity avoids reactionary authoritarianism but is often a therapeutic or vanilla mush that fails to ask anything of anybody out of fear of giving offense. The second kind of Christianity offers stern, clear moral directives that attract people seeking the "specific instruction, even confrontation that calls us to grow in discipleship" (p. 6), but disastrously embraces right-wing ideology and baptizes that as the content of Christianity.

Both of these versions of Christianity are so deeply flawed, says Stassen, that both are contributing to the alarming spread of secularism in the U.S. The first version of Christianity is so thin as to lack any particular reason why one would want to get out of bed on Sunday and go to church; the second is so reactionary as to drive thoughtful people into an anti-religious posture if they conclude that religion equals right-wing authoritarianism.

I believe this is a stark but actually quite accurate depiction of the primary problems afflicting the Protestantisms of the left and of the right in the current U.S. setting. ..."

3. When New England Progressives Won't Tolerate Evangelicals. "Once a center of 19th-century evangelism, Northfield, Mass., is unsettled by the prospect of a school with religious aims."

4. Peter Enns with another provocative post: What do Turkey, Bethlehem, and Tennessee Have in Common? They Don't Bode Well for the Conservative Christian Subculture

5. Peter Liethart offers a book review of Peter Brown's new book, Through the Eye of a Needle: Wealth, the Fall of Rome, and the Making of Christianity in the West, 350-550 Ad, at Christianity Today: How the Early Church Made Peace with Prosperity. (And, no, I don't know why everyone seems to be Peter this week ... Enns, Liethart, and Brown.)

6. Why Latin Americans top the happiness rankings

"While not exclusive to Latin America, the culture of family, support, and living a life to spend time with your family, I think, is an important part of Latin American culture that keeps people positive. Being with those close to you and finding other friends and partners that value that way of life is a key part of Latin American culture. That might be the main reason why people remain positive: they are never truly alone. Interestingly, many discussions and documentaries about immigrant groups in the United States show an internal conflict among many who move to the US and who do not wish to lose their support systems in a new culture rooted in individualism. While being motivated and entrepreneurial is valued, a life being with your family, where you are never truly alone, is the basis for many cultures in many parts of the world. Many new Americans frown on the thought that children can detach themselves from their family at 18 years of age. They believe people can only truly thrive as a family."

7. In contrast to Latin American happiness based in family connection, this survey of British children revealed that A 'dad' is tenth most popular Christmas list request for children.

8. Christian Science Monitor reports on Parental leave global comparison: US still among least generous

9. And yet another story on familial collections China orders children to visit their elderly parents.

10. Scientific American reports some positive news: Early Childhood Obesity Rates Might Be Slowing Nation-Wide

11. Men may want to think twice before taking up yoga. It seems men are more prone to serious injury from yoga. Wounded Warrior Pose

12. What are the ten most popular books of all time? The 10 Most Read Books In The World

13. Traditional Books On Decline, Survey Says

"A Pew Internet Research Center survey released Thursday found that the percentage of Americans aged 16 and older who read an e-book grew from 16 percent in 2011 to 23 percent this year. Readers of traditional books dropped from 72 percent to 67 percent. Overall, those reading books of any kind dropped from 78 percent to 75 percent, a shift Pew called statistically insignificant."

14. Here are nine interesting findings about state-by-state data from the Census Bureau: Here Are The States Where People Are Leaving, Moving To, And Having Lots Of Babies

• Puerto Rico, Vermont, and Rhode Island are the only states (and territory) that saw a net decrease in population over the year.
• The fastest growing region was the South (1.06% population growth) followed by the West (1.03% population growth).
• North Dakota and the District of Columbia had the highest population growth, with 2.5% and 2.3% population growth, respectively. Texas, Wyoming, and Utah also saw major growth.
• West Virginia and Maine are the only two states where people are dying faster than they are being born, with 0.93 and 0.99 births for each death.
• Utah (3.44) and Alaska (3.33) had the highest birth to death ratio in 2012. That means 3.44 babies were born for each death in Utah.
• Domestic migration determines the rate that people leave and enter states to and from other states. Per capita, more natives left New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island to move somewhere else than any other states.
• On the other hand, people flocked to North Dakota, D.C., Wyoming and South Carolina.
• The states that had the highest rates of international migration — that is, the rate of immigrants coming in — were Hawaii, New Jersey, Florida, New York and D.C.
• Puerto Rico is seeing a massive exodus — 1% of their population left last year.

15. When we think of transportation in the United States, few of us think about river and coastal water transportation. Yet a great many goods and commodities are shipped on our rivers. The Midwest drought is having an impact on a major artery of that transportation network. The Mississippi River's Water Levels Are Dropping, And Could Shut Down Trade Next Week

16. Facebook?! Twitter?! Instagram?! We Did That 40 Years Ago. "Three decades before Yelp and Craigslist, there was the Community Memory Terminal. ..."

 

 17. America's Stuff Is Getting Really Old, And That's Bullish

"In other words, Americans are increasingly likely to have to purchase and replace these goods some time soon as they get more and more worn out. That's bullish for spending, jobs, and the economy as a whole."

18. From right here in my hometown, just a mile or two from where I live: In a Kansas City Neighborhood, Deep Investments and an Uncertain Future. The Atlantic Cities reports on Kansas City's experiments with Green Impact Zones.

19. Why are men, in the aggregate, better navigators than women? National Geographic: Of Men, Navigation, and Zits

"... Yet a few differences between the sexes do seem to hold up to scrutiny. One is spatial abilities. If men look at an object, for example, they are slightly faster at guessing what it would look like if it were rotated 180 degrees. There are plenty of women who do better than individual men. But overall there's a stasticially significant difference in their average performance. This kind of difference carries over from one culture to another. It's even detectable in babies. ...

... Whenever we reflect on human evolution, it pays to compare our species to other animals. And in the case of spatial abilities, the comparison is fascinating. Almost a century ago, the psychologist Helen Hubbet found that male rats could get through a maze faster than females. The difference can also be found in a number of other species. ...

... Clint and his colleagues propose a different explanation: male spatial ability is not an adaptation so much as a side effect. Males produce testosterone as they develop, and the hormone has a clear benefit in terms of reproduction, increasing male fertility. But testosterone also happens to produce a lot of side effects, including male pattern baldness and an increased chance of developing acne. It would be absurd to say acne was an adaptation favored by natural selection. The same goes for the male edge in spatial ability, Clint and his colleagues argue. They note that when male rats are castrated, they do worse at navigating a maze; when they are given shots of testosterone, they regain their skill. ..."

Google Fiber Ignites Kansas City Startup Scene

Mashable: Google Fiber Ignites Kansas City Startup Scene

As Google continues to build its high-speed Google Fiber network in Kansas City, more startups are moving into the neighborhood to make the most of the new service.

The first neighborhood to get Google Fiber, known on the map as Hanover Heights but locally as the Kansas City Startup Village, is the new home of early stage startups co-locating near one another to collaborate, leverage resources and to build a community based around growing a tech business.

“The number of startups in this region of several blocks is over 10 now, but it’s happened quickly and every day I hear of someone new moving in,” Mike Farmer of mobile search app Leap2 tells Mashable. “The Kansas City Startup Village was not formed with some grand strategy or goal in mind — it came together organically.”

Leap2 is among the first wave of startups moving to the village. In early November, the company — which was founded in 2011 — moved its offices from a non-Google Fiber neighborhood in Kansas City to a connected one. The KC Startup Village consists of other companies such as Local Ruckus, Eye Verify, Trellie and Form Zapper, as a part of an initiative to make it a new startup tech hub. ...

Tech’s New (Geographical) Frontier: ‘Silicon Prairie’

New York Times: Tech’s New (Geographical) Frontier: ‘Silicon Prairie’

... From here [Des Moines] to Omaha to Kansas City — a region known more for its barns than its bandwidth — a start-up tech scene is burgeoning. Dozens of new ventures are laying roots each year, investors are committing hundreds of millions of dollars to them, and state governments are teaming up with private organizations to promote the growing tech community. They are calling it – what else? – the Silicon Prairie.

Although a relatively small share of the country’s angel investment deals – 5.7 percent – are done in the Great Plains, the region was just one of two (the other is the Southwest) that increased its share of them from the first half of 2011 to the first half of this year, according to a report commissioned by the Angel Resource Institute, Silicon Valley Bank and CB Insights. About 15 to 20 start-ups, most of them tech-related, are now established each year in eastern Nebraska, a more than threefold increase from five years ago, according to the Omaha Chamber of Commerce. Today, there is more than $300 million in organized venture capital available in the state, as well as tax credits for investors; six years ago there was virtually none, according to the chamber.

About a dozen start-ups have flocked to a single neighborhood in Kansas City, Kan., alone after Google Fiber installed its first ultrafast Internet connection there last week. And over the past seven months, about 60 start-ups have presented their ideas in Kansas City at weekly forums organized by Nate Olson, an analyst with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In Iowa, Startup City Des Moines, an incubator financed with $700,000 in public and private money, including a quarter-million dollars from the state, received applications from 160 start-ups over the past two years. It has accepted nine so far....

Yes sir! Everything is up to date in Kansas City! ;-)

Saturday Links

Here are the links for this week. Lots of interesting finds this week, and not nearly enough time to blog.

1. Google Fiber offers super-fast broadband to Kansas City. If all goes well, we will get connected in late spring of 2013.

2. Two Thirds of Ocean Life Remains Undiscovered. If they haven't found them, how do they know?

3. "British people - and many others across the world - have been brought up on the idea of three square meals a day as a normal eating pattern, but it wasn't always that way." Breakfast, lunch and dinner: Have we always eaten them?

4. What is the optimal rate of taxation according to the Laffer Curve? Goats hold the answer. Goat Economics: Why the Laffer Curve Is No Joke

5. The print media industry is rapidly morphing right before our eyes. Google Ad Revenue Now More Than U.S. Print Publications Combined [CHART]

6. Cyberspace continues to evolve. Text Messaging Declines in U.S. for First Time, Report Says

7. "It's a common grumble that politicians' lifestyles are far removed from those of their electorate. Not so in Uruguay. Meet the president - who lives on a ramshackle farm and gives away most of his pay." Jose Mujica: The world's 'poorest' president

8. You may have heard that there was a presidential election last week. Here is a map showing how the counties voted, with red being the most intensely Republican and blue being the most Democrat. (Source: The Real Reason Cities Lean Democratic)

9. Speaking of the election, a lot has been written about how the GOP will need to change if they want to win national elections. As a right-leaning guy, I thought this article in Slate, The New Grand Old Party, and Bobby Jindal's article, How Republicans can win future elections, were among the best.

10. China continues working on technological innovations to address its water problems. Industry Special: Desalination tech helps slake nation's thirst for fresh water.

11. The world is going to the dogs. The Dog Economy Is Global—but What Is the World's True Canine Capital?

12. As manufacturing becomes more automated, requiring fewer workers, we see The Emerging Professional, Scientific, and Technical Sector.

13. Nanotechnology just keeps getting more impressive. "The latest invention from Stanford University's Department of Electrical Engineering sounds like something a superhero would have. A self-repairing plastic-metal material has been developed by a team of professors, researchers and graduate students." New Self-Repairing Material Invented at Stanford

14. For the true narcissist, you now can replicate your image in 3D. 3D-printing photo booth gives you a figurine instead of a bad photo

15. Speaking of 3D-Printing, how big a deal is it? "Chris Anderson has exited one of the top jobs in publishing - Editor-in-Chief of Wired magazine - to pursue the life of an entrepreneur, making a big bet that 3D printers represent a massive new phase of the industrial revolution." Chris Anderson: Why I left Wired - 3D Printing Will Be Bigger Than The Web

16. The debate about a historical Adam continues. Peter Enns with another interesting post, Who Needs a Historical Prometheus…uh, I mean Adam?

17. George Bullard asks, When is a Church a Church, and When is it a Flash Mob?

"A flash mob (or flashmob) is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a place, perform an unusual and seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, and artistic expression. Flash mobs are organized via telecommunications, social media, or viral emails." [Wikipedia accessed 11.12.12] How do you define a church?"

18. This was me thirty years ago (in my dreams!)

19. Ever wonder how Cy Young award-winning pitcher R. A. Dickey manages to throw knuckleballs? Apparently, so do physicists. How a Baseball Star's Tricky Pitch Strikes Out Hitters—and Baffles Physicists

20. I loved these stat brain teasers. 5 Statistics Problems That Will Change The Way You See The World

In One City, Signing Up for Internet Becomes a Civic Cause

New York Times: In One City, Signing Up for Internet Becomes a Civic Cause

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With Google’s promise last year to wire homes, schools, libraries and other public institutions in this city with the nation’s fastest Internet connection, community leaders on the long forlorn, predominantly black east side were excited, seeing a potentially uplifting force. They anticipated new educational opportunities for their children and an incentive for developers to build in their communities.

But in July, Google announced a process in which only those areas where enough residents preregistered and paid a $10 deposit would get the service, Google Fiber. While nearly all of the affluent, mostly white neighborhoods here quickly got enough registrants, a broad swath of black communities lagged. The deadline to sign up was midnight Sunday.

The specter that many blacks in this city might not get access to this technology has inflamed the long racial divide here, stoking concern that it could deepen. ...

Dancing to the Beat of Shalom: Christians Revive Kansas City's Arts Scene

Christianity Today: Dancing to the Beat of Shalom: Christians Revive Kansas City's Arts Scene

The Culture House and Störling Dance Theater have given believers a voice in the local arts scene and beyond, meanwhile bringing a bit of racial peace to the Kansas City area.

... Since that time of uncertainty, however, the Ennas and fellow leaders at The Culture House and Störling Dance Theater have given Christians a voice in the local arts scene and beyond, meanwhile bringing a bit of racial peace to the Kansas City area.

Starting something new

Enna, who received a theater degree at UCLA and performed with a dance theater group in Sweden, began organizing a board of directors that would help lay the foundation for The Culture House, a grassroots arts organization with schools of dance, theater, and music. Störling-Enna, who received her professional dance education in Helsinki, Finland, and Paris, continued honing her skills in order to lead what would become Störling Dance Theater, a neo-classical dance company known for its powerful storytelling.

With both projects, the two wanted to merge excellence in the arts with their faith in a way that benefited the Kansas City area, meanwhile raising the bar for Christians in the arts. With the community's increased support for the Kansas City Ballet, the Kansas City Chorale, the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum, and the Lyric Opera on the Missouri side during the 1990s, they arrived at the right time. The seeds for what would become the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, which opened in 2011, were also planted during this time.

"We saw that the whole community was starting to focus on the arts," Enna says. "We came here not to 'take over the city for Jesus,' but to at least sit at the table because of the quality of our work."

The vision of The Culture House, which includes the residency of Störling Dance Theater, is to enable quality artists, believers and nonbelievers alike, to have a platform in the marketplace.

The Culture House launched in 1996 in Overland Park, a suburb of Kansas City. It initially resided between a Chuck E. Cheese's and a Hooters. In 2005, the organization bought a larger facility in neighboring Olathe. The extra space proved useful.

"That's when we expanded our school of music and started our school of theater," says Enna, executive director. "We went from 100 students to 450 in one cycle. Then another 650 the next year, and it just grew from there. We now have about 800 students [and are growing."

While The Culture House is a Christian organization, Störling Dance Theater is a dance company run by Christians, not a "Christian dance company." As such, some of its dancers are not Christians. Yet "people still do, even if they're not Christian, ask for prayer," notes Störling-Enna, artistic director. "I'd say 90 percent of the dancers who joined the company and were not Christian have become Christian through the company." ...

... While not explicitly Christian, Störling does operate the Artist Development Program, which provides pre-professional dancers with nine months of intensive instruction, and helps them develop tools for their life and career, spiritual maturity, physical and mental discipline, and an appreciation of the arts.

"That is a specifically Christian discipleship program," Enna says. "You don't have to participate in the spiritual development, but besides dancing day and night, they take design classes, as well as an apologetics course and a discussion group about Christianity and culture. It's to help those young artists have the discussions, think about their faith, and be prepared for the marketplace . . . It's not just so their faith survives in the arts, but that it thrives and they have the support and the integrity with them going into it."

Today, graduates of the program are receiving scholarships to top dance and theater programs around the country, including the Ailey School, part of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York, and theater programs at the University of Harford in Connecticut and Oklahoma City University. Students have also received full scholarships to the Joffrey Ballet's summer program in Chicago. ...

... "If Christianity has been so ineffective during the past 150 years in the arts, it's moving to see that we're part of a bigger picture and that the ship is turning," Enna says. "Christians are now being known for their good work."

Vibrant Institutions: Jacob's Well

Faith and Leadership: Vibrant Institutions: Jacob's Well

It's one thing to start a church; it's another to keep it going. As Jacob's Well has discovered, even the most cutting-edge, creative and vibrant church has to have organization and structure.

August 28, 2012 | At first glance, Jacob's Well, a nondenominational "emerging" church in Kansas City, Mo., would seem to be the most traditional of churches. On the outside, the handsome old red-brick building has been a comforting neighborhood presence ever since Presbyterians built it in 1930.

Inside, the sanctuary features stained-glass windows, the Lord's Prayer in gold letters above the altar and velvet cushions on creaking pews, all witness to the saints who've gone before.

But every Sunday -- at least since 1998, when Jacob's Well was launched and took over the building -- the place is filled with lively worship and a body of believers that earlier congregations likely never envisioned. The music is contemporary and the dress casual, even scruffy, with more than a few tattoos and piercings scattered among the crowd.

During his sermon, the Rev. Tim Keel -- the senior pastor and a founder of the emerging/emergent church movement -- strolls the aisle, talking in conversational tones as though engaging listeners in a theological dialogue.

But for the past five months, stirring beneath the surface, something else has also been going on. Throughout Jacob's Well, bones are being formed; a skeleton is taking shape.

This extraordinary church, known for its theological rigor and its creative and dynamic ministries, has been engaging in the most mundane of endeavors. After months of preparation and study, it has launched a major reorganization that establishes clear lines of authority while empowering members to become more involved in the church's daily life.

As Jacob's Well has discovered, even the most cutting-edge, creative and vibrant church has to have organization and structure. It's one thing to start a church. It's quite another to keep it going. Reflecting the growing maturation of the emerging church movement, Jacob's Well is navigating the transition between church plant and long-term sustainability. ...

I was a member of Roanoke Presbyterian Church from 1993-2003. In 1998, a friend (Steve Hall) told me he was part of a group that wanted to plant a church in my neighborhood. I told him the third floor of our building was unused and that they might be able to use that space. I brought the idea to the session, and Jacob's Well began holding its first services there. The rest is history. Watching the ministry take root during those first five years before our Presbyterian congregation decided to dissolve and sell the building to Jacob's Well was a privilege. It is a truly unique community. Read the whole post. There is some good stuff here.

Cristo Rey: Schools that work

Faith & Leadership: Cristo Rey: Schools that work

With demanding academics and an innovative work-study program, Cristo Rey Catholic schools have thrived, sending thousands of disadvantaged students to college and creating a new and sustainable model of Catholic education.

... Today, 6,900 students, mostly Hispanic and African-American, are enrolled in Cristo Rey Network schools in 17 states and the District of Columbia.

How successful are they?

Last year, every member of the Cristo Rey class of 2011 nationwide was accepted into a two- or four-year college. For the classes of 2008 through 2010, 85 percent enrolled in college, far above the matriculation rate for all high school students nationally, and more than twice the rate for African-American and Hispanic students. After two years, almost all -- 88 percent -- are still in school. They don’t drop out.

The key to Cristo Rey’s success is a work-study initiative pioneered at that first Cristo Rey school. Under the program, students work at paid internships five days a month in law firms, banks, hospitals and other professional settings. The internships not only introduce students to the workplace; they generate revenue -- currently about $32 million a year -- that covers the majority of the students’ education. ...

... More than 1,500 partner businesses provide the internships for Cristo Rey, including such blue-chip names as Blue Cross Blue Shield, Deloitte, JPMorgan Chase, Raytheon and Wells Fargo. The companies tend to be thoroughly satisfied with the students, with 93 percent re-enlisting for the program each year. When businesses do pull out, it’s usually not because they’re dissatisfied but because they have moved, been sold or gone out of business.

O’Keefe, Lyons & Hynes, a Chicago tax and corporate law firm, has participated in the Cristo Rey work-study program from the beginning and currently employs eight Cristo Rey students.

“The moment I heard the concept, I was all for it,” said Mike Heaton, a partner at the firm.

Heaton said he never worried that the kids from Pilsen and Little Village could do the work. He had seen his own teenage children and those of his partners do the same jobs as summer interns.

“Having our own kids down here convinced us that the kids of Cristo Rey could come in and do the job,” he said.

The law firm doesn’t consider the internships a charitable contribution to Cristo Rey, Heaton said. The students actually solve a big problem for the firm. In today’s workplace, answering phones, filing and making copies is difficult work that most adults don’t want to do.

But when four students share the job, it becomes a learning experience for them, he said.

In many instances, interns move up to roles with additional responsibility, such as doing research. One former Cristo Rey student, Cristina Garcia, a graduate of Marquette University, is currently working at the firm for a few months before starting law school in the fall.

“They do good work,” Heaton said.

The students, though, aren’t the only ones who learn from the work-study program. As Pilsen teens and downtown corporate lawyers get to know each other, eyes are opened, attitudes changed.

“It goes both ways,” Heaton said. “There’s no doubt these students have changed the perceptions of some of our staff and the lawyers. At the same time, we see the students change and become more relaxed and confident by the time they’re juniors and seniors. When they first arrive, they’re shy and perhaps wondering what kind of ogres we might be.” ...

There is a Cristo-Rey High School just a few blocks from my house here in Kansas City. I had a chance to do a site visit and tour last year. It is truly an amazing program.

 

Flyover Country? Not This Kansas City

Huffington Post: Flyover Country? Not This Kansas City

"... The Kansas City Metropolitan area is becoming the envy of individuals on the East and West coasts who have long since considered it merely flyover country. The City of Fountains has been praised as a great place to live, work and visit for many years, but recently it is becoming a hot bed for entrepreneurial investment, high culture and the innovations of the future.

Kansas City, Missouri, is home to the world renowned Kauffman Foundation. The foundation's mission is to help individuals attain economic independence by advancing educational achievement and entrepreneurial success. The Kauffman Foundation's focus on entrepreneurship, innovation, education, and research has helped fuel Kansas City's global presence as an attractive place for creativity and business. Nearly 300,000 individuals from throughout the world have been part of the Kauffman FastTrac program, which has helped entrepreneurs start and grow their business. In addition to the Kauffman Foundation, the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Graduate Entrepreneurship Program was recently named the 2012 National Model Graduate Entrepreneurship Program by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE). Entrepreneurship is booming and alive in Kansas City.

The entrepreneurial spirit in Kansas City has led the city to become a national leader in technology. Google recently announced it will build its first ultra high-speed broadband network between Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas. Kansas City was chosen over 1,100 other cities. Google Fiber will deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans experience. The Wall Street Journal recently coined Kansas City as "Silicon Prairie" and believes that the first Google Fiber network "will likely bolster cloud-based technologies and pave the way for high-definition streaming services that will be hard to find elsewhere." Combine this with the friendly business climate on the state and city level and the low cost of living, and you will understand how Kansas City is gaining innovators and entrepreneurs from coast to coast. ..."

Hey Jason Grill ... not so loud. People might hear you. They'll move here and spoil it. Just to show you how cowtown we still are, we still have BOB (Bull on Building). Bob will be sixty years old next year, and we aren't giving him up. See my post from back in 2006, giving the back story on BOB by clicking here. All this is to say we're still cowtown ... now go away! ;-)

Companies find bigger returns in smaller spaces

Kansas City Star: Companies find bigger returns in smaller spaces

They cost less to build and operate, and businesses can operate in more locations.

... Bigger is not always better. Just ask the biggest retailers in the country — and their customers.

The recession and the growth of online shopping have conspired to cut chains down to size. One strategy they’ve employed has been to close underperforming stores. But Best Buy and an increasing number of companies are trying another strategy, too — going smaller.

Among the retailers testing smaller concepts are Blockbuster, Ann Taylor, the Gap, Kohl’s, Lowe’s and Sports Authority. RadioShack is trying a “store within a store” format in several OfficeMax stores in California.

Restaurants are also thinking small, including Leawood-based Houlihan’s Restaurants Inc.

Lower square footage makes for lower construction and remodeling costs, and that also tends to make them easier to finance. The smaller locations have less overhead costs and can be staffed by fewer employees.

The small size also gives the chains more flexibility in locations, allowing them to squeeze into heavily developed urban centers, and compact spaces in airports, college campuses and strip centers. If the location isn’t successful, the chains can close the sites with less financial fallout.

“For a decade it was ‘Build it, and they will come,’ ” said Candace Corlett, president of WSL Strategic Retail in New York. “It’s definitely a correction for retailers as well as restaurants, a direct result of consumers not having as much to spend on the extras. The strategy has to be to reduce your costs to offset less traffic. Usually that means less rent, shrinking retail and restaurants.”

Jeff Green, president of Jeff Green Partners, Phoenix-based real estate consultants, has long criticized the “bigger is better” movement.

“They think the bigger they are, the more exciting they are, and that’s not necessarily the case, as Apple has proven,” Green said. “Consumers like the smaller stores, like to be part of a ‘happening,’ and smaller stores have that feel.” ...

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/21/3443851/retailers-restaurants-find-bigger.html#storylink=cpy

 

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/21/3443851/retailers-restaurants-find-bigger.html#storylink=cpy

 

Top 10 Reasons to Visit Kansas City in 2012

PR Newswire: Top 10 Reasons to Visit Kansas City in 2012

1. All eyes turn to Kauffman Stadium next July, as KC welcomes the Major League Baseball All-Star Game for the first time in 38 years. Fans new and old will enjoy a week's worth of festivities, including a massive FanFest at the KC Convention Center.
2. This fall, Travel + Leisure's readers crowned Kansas City as America's #1 Affordable Getaway. Explore KC's many free attractions, including factory tours at Hallmark Cards, Harley-Davidson and Boulevard Brewing Co.   
3. As the world pauses to reflect on the 100th Anniversary of the Titanic, Union Station will pay tribute to the tragedy with a poignant look at the ship and its passengers. "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition" will feature more than 300 relics from ship and its debris field (March 3-Sept. 3).
4. A cornerstone of KC's cultural renaissance, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts opened this fall to national acclaim. Designed by renowned architect Moshe Safdie, the $413 million facility is KC's new address for ballet, symphony, opera and more.
5. The five-year commemoration for the Civil War's 150th Anniversary continues in 2012. Situated between pro and anti-slavery forces, the Kansas City region has several ties to the turbulent time period. In fact, the largest battle west of the Mississippi River was fought in in KC's Westport neighborhood in 1864.
6. Known as the College Basketball Capital of America, Kansas City hosts more college basketball tournament games than anywhere else in the country each March. In 2012, the total comes to 63 games in just 14 days.
7. Crown Center—home to Hallmark Cards—will soon unveil the city's first aquarium, SEA LIFE Kansas City. Making a splash this April, the facility will house more than 30 displays of diverse marine life—everything from starfish and seahorses to sharks and rays.
8. Brick by brick, Crown Center is building America's fourth LEGOLAND Discovery Center, debuting this May. Based on the ever-popular LEGO toys, the attraction will feature a 4-D theatre, master building classes, a LEGO ride and more.
9. The Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway will debut this February with 2,000 slot machines and 52 table games. The entire 100,000-square-foot complex will overlook turn two of the racetrack.  
10. Before you vote, revisit one of America's most prolific presidents. Candidates from both parties are quoting Harry S. Truman on the campaign trail. Learn about the tumultuous events of his presidency at his museum in nearby Independence, Mo.

Urban homesteaders plant seeds of change in Kansas City

KansasCity.com: Urban homesteaders plant seeds of change in Kansas City

Jason and Candy Fields’ backyard in the Lykins neighborhood — one of the most blighted areas in Kansas City — is a patchwork quilt of urban farming ventures.

There are a vegetable garden fertilized with nutrient-rich fish waste and a lush swath of bamboo stalks waiting to be dried and used to stake tomato plants or to build a tree house or a lightweight bicycle.

Towering sunflowers wear paper grocery sacks draped over their heads, an effort to keep the birds away so the mature seeds can be roasted, then eaten as a snack. There’s a playhouse-turned-chicken coop for heritage breed hens.

On the driveway, tilapia swim in an aquaponics system fashioned from recycled, food-grade plastic drums that takes up as much space as an average living room. Fragrant basil grows in rock beds above the drums, cleaning the water for the fish while the nutrient-rich fish waste fertilizes the basil, all without the use of soil.

Nearby, duckweed grows in kiddie wading pools. The inexpensive, high-protein, easy-to-grow food for fish resembles green pond scum. A biodigester constructed from more plastic drums converts 800 pounds of restaurant and household food scraps into methane that could heat a greenhouse.

Word of these innovative, low-tech farming experiments has traveled rapidly through local food circles. One steamy weekend in late June, almost 300 people milled around the “Myrtle Plot” at the corner of 12th and Myrtle streets. The plot was a featured stop on the Urban Farms and Garden Tour sponsored by Cultivate Kansas City, a nonprofit that helps people learn how to grow food in urban settings.

Much of that grassroots popularity is a result of social media. Using his iPhone, Jason Fields routinely posts cleverly produced how-to or slice-of-life videos to www.theurbanfarmingguys.com. More than 8,000 people “like” the website and Facebook page, and their “Farmin’ in the Hood” video has gotten 47,000 views on YouTube since its debut last spring.

The idealistic newlyweds decided to ditch their comfortable suburban lifestyle, if not their sense of humor, in 2008. Only half-joking, they recall how they worried that the drug-dealing squatter came with the foreclosed property they bought for $21,000. ...

... These urban homesteaders are mostly white 20- to 40-somethings. Most also are members of the Rock, a nondenominational Christian church founded in 1999 with loosely affiliated networks of house churches in Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Wyoming, Texas, Ohio, Michigan and North Carolina.

The Rock’s mission is to “plant” house churches throughout the inner city so members can live in and work with the communities they are trying to serve. On the face of it, their tactics for revitalizing a racially mixed, economically depressed neighborhood are simple: walk the neighborhood streets, make eye contact and open your heart.

“The biggest problem in this neighborhood is fear,” Jason Fields says. “There’s a spirit of hope and community when you decide not to hide from this and own it. … Something happens when you’re in something together. You meet people you wouldn’t have met otherwise, and it turns into really deep friendships.” ...

Neema. The Newest PCUSA Congregation in Kansas City.

How a Bible Study of 6-8 people started in 2003 becomes the first Swahili-English speaking-chartered church/congregation in Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). (Source)

Leavenworth prison farm trains inmates, feeds needy

KansasCity.com: Leavenworth prison farm trains inmates, feeds needy

Prison food has never enjoyed a great reputation. But the quarter million pounds of produce grown annually by inmates at the United States Penitentiary at Leavenworth just might change that. It’s fresh, free, feeds the less fortunate and even has helped inmates get good jobs after being released — all without costing taxpayers a nickel.

Wait. A prison farm?

Believe it or not, an ecologically responsible one. Carefully screened volunteer inmates from Leavenworth’s minimum-security prison camp are allowed outside the secure perimeter to grow tomatoes, potatoes, sweet corn, watermelon, onions, radishes and other crops. Prisoners who work on the farm are serving time for a variety of non-violent crimes, including wire fraud, mail fraud and embezzlement.

Last year more than 80,000 pounds of produce grown by prisoners went to help feed the needy throughout the greater Kansas City area. This year, estimates put donated produce at up to 200,000 pounds.

Joe Mason, Leavenworth’s food service manager, started the prison’s Therapy and Mentor Horticulture program in 2008 with groundskeeper and garden supervisor Don Sargent.

By law, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons cannot use federal money for community programs. But Mason had an idea that made the farm possible. He designed it to be funded by outside donations and brought the idea to Brian Habjan, a Leavenworth banker who was at the time also president of the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce. ...

... Virtually all equipment used for the farm is donated or is free government surplus. The seeds are also donated by a Leavenworth domestic violence shelter, the Alliance Against Family Violence, and funded by civic groups, including the Leavenworth Lions Club. Debbie Weaverling, president of the club, said a member named Sam Maxwell brought the prison garden to her attention.

“What they produce is phenomenal,” Weaverling said. “We’re so happy to be part of the program.”

The way Mason sees it, a prison farm just makes sense.

“Everybody wins,” he said. “The environment wins. The institution wins. The inmates win. The community wins. Everybody’s winning here.”

Here’s how. ...

Google Chooses Its Fiber-Networked City Of The Future: Kansas City

Tech Crunch: Google Chooses Its Fiber-Networked City Of The Future: Kansas City

Back in February 2010, Google announced its plans to build out a fiber-optic network for a city in the United States, promising connection speeds around 1Gb/s — 100 times faster than the broadband most people are used to. The announcement led 1,100 cities to apply, and today Google has just announced the winning city: Kansas City, Kansas. ...

 

Hmmm .... I may have to move .4 miles west to the other Kansas City.

Chiefs: 40 Years in the Wilderness (or "O Come, O Come, Matt Cassel")

Forty-one years ago this month, Len Dawson led the Chiefs to their first and only Super Bowl Championship in Super Bowl IV. For forty years, the Chiefs have been wandering in the football wilderness. But to make matters worse, the Chiefs have had chances to return to the big show six times over the last seventeen years. The last time the Chiefs won a playoff game was against the Oilers in a divisional playoff game on January 16, 1994, under the leadership of Joe Montana. They lost the next week to the Bills in the conference championship game.

Since then, the Chiefs have made the playoffs five times, only to lose the opening game: '95, '96, '97, '04, and '07. Probably the most painful loss was the '96 playoffs when the Chiefs had a home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The divisional game was against the Colts on a bitterly cold day. They lost 10-7 in a game where Lin Elliot missed three field goals, and three of Bono's fourteen complete passes were to the defense. (For a complete recounting of Chief's misery, see blogger Benjamin Herrold's post.) No team has lost seven consecutive playoff games.

So Chief's fans come to this weekend in hopes of deliverance from their wilderness wanderings and ending their string of playoff futility. In honor of the event, I thought I would offer a Chief's playoff carol for the hometown faithful.

O come, O come, Matt Cassel

O come, O come, Matt Cassel
And put an end to our losing spell
We wait in chilly Arrowhead here
Until the Chiefs of old reappear
Go Chiefs! Go Chiefs! Matt Cassel
Shall come to us, and end our losing spell.

O come, Thou Coach Todd Haley, free
Chiefs fans from hapless tyranny
From football Hell Thy faithful save
Put opponents hopes in the grave
Go Chiefs! Go Chiefs! Matt Cassel
Shall come to us, and end our losing spell.

O come, Chiefs players, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And winless shadows put to flight.
Go Chiefs! Go Chiefs! Matt Cassel
Shall come to us, and end our losing spell.

That said, I confess I really feel a bit like Miracle Max in The Princess Bride, sending off Wesley and friends to storm the Castle.

The National World War I Museum

My in-laws are in town this week, and yesterday we spent the day at the National World War I Museum here in Kansas City. From the museum website:

The National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial inspires thought, dialogue, and learning to make the experiences of the World War I era meaningful and relevant for present and future generations. The Museum fulfills its mission by:

• Maintaining the Liberty Memorial as a beacon of freedom and a symbol of the courage, patriotism, sacrifice, and honor of all who served in World War I

• Interpreting the history of World War I to encourage public involvement and informed decision-making

• Providing exhibitions and educational programs that engage diverse audiences

• Collecting and preserving historical materials with the highest professional standards

In addition, the Museum is a research facility for researching the war and the Americans who served in the war. It is a world-class museum you should visit if you are ever in Kansas City. Here are a few photos I took yesterday.

Here is the view of the Liberty Memorial and the Museum as you approach the entrance.

Once inside, the transparent walkway over the field of poppies ... each poppy symbolizing a certain number of soldiers that died.

You first enter a theater that gives you a brief introductory film and a background on the events that led up to the war. Then it is on to the exhibit area.

There are tons of artifacts like this tank ...

... or this Harley Davidson.

There are uniforms, weapons, infantry gear, airplanes, medical equipment, and other artifacts. There are interactive displays, giant maps, and displays that tell how the war unfolded. There are rooms where you can listen to the era's speeches, poems, and music. There are also some mockups of trenches so you can get a sense of what it was like.

In the two exhibit buildings above ground on either side of the Liberty Memorial, are buildings with exhibits and some amazing murals like this one.

Need a break during the visit? You can visit the Over There Cafe, which has some pretty good food.

You also need to take the elevator to the top of the tower, where you can see views like this.

The tickets are $12 for adults for two days.

If you are ever in Kansas City looking for something to do, check it out. I've been three times in recent years and have thoroughly enjoyed it each time.

 

FBI Visits the Neighborhood

This morning I headed out to the pharmacist to pick up some items. As I came to a stop at the light at 33rd and Southwest Trafficway, just three blocks from my home, I found myself witness to the conclusion of a police chase.

Coming south in the southbound lanes was an unmarked Tahoe weaving through the traffic, grill lights flashing. When he got to 33rd Street, he executed an amazing U-turn right in front of me. Just then, I noticed a white SUV coming south in the northbound lanes. The officer's Tahoe and the white SUV collided nearly head-on. The white SUV was knocked into the southbound lanes and stopped about half a block away, two wheels atop the median. After a few seconds, the officer jumped from his Tahoe and ran toward the white SUV. Only then did I notice that other unmarked cars had closed in on the white SUV, and FBI agents were running about. It turns out the man had a woman and a six-year-old boy in the car with him. He was trying to escape a murder warrant (at least, that is what the news said.) I waited around and gave my report to one of the agents.

Speaking of the news, Fox 4 showed up with a crew to report on the story, and I gave them a brief interview. There was a five-second segment where I praised the officer for executing a masterful U-turn to stop the SUV without endangering anyone. Unfortunately, how the story reported it, it sounds like I was praising the escaping vehicle. Oh well.

Here are a couple of photos. This first one shows what was left of the Tahoe the FBI agent was driving.

You can't make it out very well, but the white SUV stopped at the light pole in the center median toward the right in the picture.

All in all, it was an exciting day in the neighborhood.

Kansas City (MO) Farmer's Market Ranks in the Top 10

Livability: America's Best Farmers Markets: 10 Amazing Local Farmers Markets

After running for 150 years, the City Market knows a thing or two about providing quality farm products. The market dates back to 1857, and has only grown finer with age. As the largest farmers market in the region, the City Market hosts over 140 vendors, offering a mix of farm foods, arts and crafts, and entertainment. The market is open daily and invites guests to enjoy not only local products but concerts and festivals as well. On the agenda are events like Movies at City Market Park and the Farm to Table Festival Series.

Mrs. Kronicle and I were there Saturday morning and purchased some fresh veggies and roasting ears. Cambodian, Vietnamese, Mexican, and African people all mixed in as vendors at the market, covering nearly a city block. Here are a few photos:

Several musicians were playing at various locations. These two characters were serenading us with their rendition of "Istanbul, not Constantinople."

 

Segregation Illustrated for Kansas City (and Maybe Your's)

HT: Blog KC

Key: Red = Caucasian, Blue = African American, Yellow = Latino, Green = Asian. One dot is 25 people. Based on 2000 Census data.

See the full Kansas City Map here. 

For forty other cities click here.

A solution for the Cosby Hotel

I love much of the old architecture in downtown Kansas City, MO. Presently, the 125-year-old Cosby Hotel at 9th and Baltimore is due to be demolished because it is unsafe. The developer who was to redevelop has not done so. So Blog KC reports a possible solution:

The upshot is that the building in an existing TIF district (Baltimore Place) and Rick Powell is at least two years behind his promised timeline for redeveloping it.  These two things mean that the City already has the authority to seize the building and give it to another developer like Adam Jones.  It’s just a matter of the City Council having the political will to do it.

Seizing the building would not only save an historic structure, it would send a message that developers who get big tax breaks are expected to be good stewards of the public money.

We'll see.

Kansas City ranks among the most tattooed cities in America

Kansas City Business Journal: Kansas City ranks among the most tattooed cities in America

Kansas City’s image as an unassuming Midwestern city may be changing.

Website totalbeauty.com included Kansas City in its list of the “top 10 most tattooed cities in America.” Kansas City ranked No. 9 — one spot above Los Angeles. The website did its rankings based on the number of tattoo shops per 100,000 population.

Kansas City made its mark with about six tattoo shops per 100,000 population. That may seem like quite a few, but it’s barely a splotch compared with No. 1 Miami Beach, which had about 24 tattoo shops per 100,000 people, according to totalbeauty.com.

Tattoos no longer are viewed as a bad mark on their owners’ reputations. A study by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found that 36 percent of what it calls “Gen Nexters,” or those in the 18-25 age range, have a tattoo. The study said 40 percent of Gen Xers have a tattoo. ...

And this would include Kansas City Presbyterians such as PCUSA vice-moderator and pastor of Liberty First Presbyterian, Landon Whitsitt, with the PCUSA logo tattooed on his left forearm, partially visible in the photo below.

 

With open arms and open eyes, churches minister to sex offenders

Kansas City Star: With open arms and open eyes, churches minister to sex offenders

Within days of attending a Sunday service at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, a Johnson County man received an unexpected e-mail.

Security officials at the Leawood megachurch wanted to see him immediately. They told him this summer that some rules needed to be set if he wished to come back to worship.

He must go straight to the sanctuary before service and leave immediately after it ended — no dawdling. There would be no direct contact with church staff.

Only a single-stool restroom on the church campus could be used.

And under no circumstances could he enter the children’s wing of the church.

The man is a registered sex offender, convicted seven years ago of possessing child pornography. He’s also one of a special class of worshippers whom most churches across the country want to welcome — but very carefully.

“While we’re a very inclusive church family, at the same time, we feel we have a responsibility to have a safe environment for our members and visitors,” said Peter Metz, communications director for the Church of the Resurrection. “It’s a practical solution, much better than denying them access to the church.” ...

A Seminar on Immigration (July 24 in Kansas City, KS)

I'm signed up for this event. I thought I would also make sure my Kansas City area readers are aware. This event requires that you sign up, and they expect to have more people wanting to come than there are spaces, so sign up quickly.

From Adelante Express: Adelante Missions Institute Presents: A Seminar on Immigration

I am extremely excited to announce a special training opportunity to take place on Saturday, July 24 on the timely and important topic of immigration, sponsored by Mission Adelante, and co-sponsored by the National Association of Evangelicals and Grandview Park Presbyterian Church. We have invited Dr. Danny Carroll, author of Christians at the Border and distinguished professor of Old Testament at Denver Seminary, to present a Biblical overview of issues related to immigration, especially relevant for all Christians who have a heart for serving the stranger in our midst.

Leith Anderson of the National Association of Evangelicals writes, "Immigration issues grip American politics and opinions. But what does the Bible say? What is at the heart of the Christian view on immigration? Danny Carroll's voice on this issue is like no other."

 

If you are interested in seeing a snapshot of Dr. Carroll's presentation, follow this link to see his talk at Willow Creek's Compassion and Justice seminar. Dr. Carroll was also a speaker at the annual Christian Community Development Association conference in 2009.

 

In addition to Dr. Carroll, we will also hear from Jenny Hwang, Director for Advocacy and Policy for World Relief's Refugee and Immigration Program and co-author of Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion and Truth in the Immigration Debate. Ms. Hwang will present a policy discussion on Immigration.

 

The event will be held on Saturday, July 24 at Grandview Park Presbyterian Church, 1613 Wilson Blvd., Kansas City, KS 66102, located just a couple of blocks from Mission Adelante. Please note that a fee of $20 per person will be collected at the door and child care will not be provided. The schedule for the day is as follows:

 

8:30 Doors open

9:00-12:00 Seminar by Dr. Daniel Carroll

12:00-1:00 Lunch, provided at the church

1:00-2:30 Policy discussion by Jenny Hwang

 

 

Space is limited, so please don't delay to register and to spread the word to anyone whom this event may interest. Because of limited space, we may not be able to accommodate walk-ins on the day of the seminar. You can register by filling out the form at this link: Register Now. This is the only way registration will be accepted.

 

 

Again, we are extremely excited about this event and feel that God has provided us with a unique opportunity to explore a Biblical perspective on a challenging issue that is especially relevant for our ministry. We would love for you to join us!

 

 

In His Grace,

 

Jarrett Meek

Executive Director, Mission Adelante

Where Americans Are Moving

Forbes: Where Americans Are Moving

An interesting interactive map shows the counties with the highest net inflow of people from your county and the counties with the highest net inflow into your county. Here is a map of my home, Jackson County, MO.

Kansas City, KS, School Board Requires Biblical Armageddon Must be Taught Alongside Global Warming

Oh my. This one definitely got some chortles out of me. And to think it is happening right here in Kansas City, KS. Hysterical!

New population study redefines ‘heartland’

Kansas City Star: New population study redefines ‘heartland’

... Social changes over the last decade — especially the increase in racial and ethnic minorities — are scrambling regional stereotypes and dramatically altering the traditional portrait of America.

“Our metropolitan areas are on the front lines of demographic transformation,” said Bruce Katz, director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings. “Every trend that is affecting the nation — growth, diversity, aging, education disparities, income inequities — is affecting our major metropolitan areas first at a speed, scale and complexity that are truly historic.”

The “New Heartland” is one of seven divisions that Brookings developed in its study, “State of Metropolitan America,” to reflect the changing economic, demographic and social climate since 2000.

The Kansas City area is one of 19 “fast-growing, highly educated locales” in this redefined heartland, with diversity levels below the national average.

“We are right there in the middle of these trends, not experiencing their extremes,” said Frank Lenk, director of research at the Mid-America Regional Council in Kansas City. “As a result, the negative changes, like more income inequality, didn’t hit us here.”

Indeed, wages for middle-class workers in the Kansas City area actually went up slightly as of 2008, compared with the national average, according to Brookings. The median income was higher, too. The percentage of children in poverty locally also was lower than it was nationally.

The region had one of the highest percentages of commuters who drive alone. It also had some the highest numbers of commuters who switched to public transit since 2000.

The percentage of the population older than 25 with college degrees ranks in the top third of the leading metro areas. But it hugs the bottom as far as 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in higher education. ...

Police say teens planned Plaza chaos online

KSHB-TV: Police say teens planned Plaza chaos online

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Police say hundreds of teens planned Saturday's chaos on the Plaza through web sites like Facebook and Twitter.  Officials received several calls from adults Sunday.  Police say it appears the adults saw the postings online but didn't report anything until it was too late.

This is the second week in a row police responded to the Country Club Plaza to clear hundreds of juveniles off the streets.  But Saturday, the crowd reached a record high: nearly 1,000 teens.

"It's 11:30 12:00 at night, and I'm just curious where the parents are,” said Plaza property owner Steve Brennan. “They look 12, 14, 15-years-old.”

Police say most of the teens were 13 to 17-years old and started flooding the Plaza around 10:30 p.m.

Over the course of just one hour, police say a couple was beaten and robbed in a parking lot, a girl in a prom dress was pushed into a fountain at the Mill Creek Park, and a teen was hit with a metal pipe in the Winstead's parking lot.  That teen now has severe facial injuries.  Police say several businesses closed early because groups of teens were harassing their customers, especially those seating at sidewalk tables.  ...

Yet another innovative use of social media. :-) This has been a big topic on the KC talk radio today, as you might imagine. It sounds to me like the police acted responsibly.

Kansas City Needs to Support Covington

I don't often use this blog to promote political causes, but today I'm making an exception. Kansas City School Board Superintendent John Covington led the board to make a long overdue reduction in the number of schools a few weeks ago. The consolidation will reduce overhead, and it is a move toward improving the quality of education in one of the most dysfunctional school districts in the nation. Some school board candidates are running to undo Covington's courageous decision. It is time to get behind Covington. Therefore, I want to encourage all my Kansas City, MO, readers to get out there today and vote for the reform candidates who support Covington.

4th District:

Joseph Jackson

At-Large:

Kyleen Carroll
Crispin Rea

Should Glenn Miller be Allowed to Advertise?

Missouri will have a write-in candidate for Senate named Glenn Miller this fall. Miller is an unabashed racist, which is made painfully clear in his radio ads. He has purchased airtime on Kansas City news station KMBZ, and because of free speech concerns, KMBZ is obligated to run the ads because they accept ads from other candidates. KMBZ is not too thrilled to run the ads, which is perfectly understandable. Who wants their business to be associated with this stuff.

Yet, I'm inclined to think the law is probably right. It is disturbing to listen to such messages, but who said our lives get to be all sweetness and light? Letting this stuff out in the open motivates the majority to be more diligent in addressing such warped views. What do you think?

Here are the two as replayed on KMBZ's Shanin and Parks Show. CAUTION: The content of the ads is deeply offensive.

Oh How the Mighty Have Fallen! UNI defeats the Jayhawks.

The UNI purple Panthers finally did what purple KSU Wildcats couldn't do in three tries this year. My in-laws live just outside Waterloo - Cedar Falls. I know there is a celebration happening there. Congrats to the Panthers!

UMKC's MBA coach finds success in the classroom, not on the court

Kansas City Star: UMKC's MBA coach finds success in the classroom, not on the court

Nice piece on the work my sister is doing.

Coaches Bill Self, Frank Martin and Mike Anderson are household names in the Kansas City area. But there’s another successful college coach who has nothing to do with dribbling, passing or shooting a basketball.

Sandra Kruse-Smith has been coaching students in UMKC’s Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration’s executive MBA program since 2005.

“I work with students to help them apply what they learn in the classroom to specific problems they may be facing at work,” she said.

Or as Joan Gallos, academic director for the program, put it: “We want to have a program that is relevant to our students’ career success, so what they learn on Saturday they can apply on Monday.”

A coach is so valuable in part because the program’s mission is different from that of a typical MBA, she said.

“What distinguishes an executive MBA is the emphasis on application and integration of knowledge,” Gallos said. “Every degree program teaches students various models and frameworks, best practices and understanding across various business disciplines. But even if you learn something, you may not necessarily be able to integrate it into your workplace. Translating theory into practice can be difficult.”

Leaders at the Bloch school were wrestling with that challenge in 2005 when they ran across “Developing Business Leaders for 2010,” a report published by the Conference Board.

“This report listed … qualities that are necessary to be successful and keep your career from derailing,” Kruse-Smith said. “The majority of those skills are related to interpersonal relationships and communications.” ...

A divided Kansas City board votes 5-4 to close 26 district schools

Kansas City Star: A divided Kansas City board votes 5-4 to close 26 district schools

A divided Kansas City school board voted Wednesday night to move ahead with a historic plan to close 26 schools.

Hundreds of people in an overflow crowd — sometimes shouting out in dismay — watched with national media as the board ushered in Superintendent John Covington’s “Right Sizing Plan.”

While the nation may be watching to see whether Covington can carry out his sweeping plan, the superintendent and his board will tend to the task of working together in the weighty days ahead, board President Marilyn Simmons said.

“I do not think this is something for celebration,” she said after the 5-4 vote. “This is a somber moment.”

The school closings will reduce the number of district buildings by more than 40 percent and underpin Covington’s drive to cut $50 million from the shrunken district’s budget. ...

I was watching Morning Joe this morning, and this was one of the lead stories. One commentator used this as an example of underfunded school districts and the sign of a looming crisis. The fact is that Kansas City, Missouri School District's population has been in decline for years. For some time now, school space has been overcapacity and all the overhead that goes with keeping each location open. Past superintendents have tried to close schools in recent years and failed. This time Covington succeeded. Hats off to him. This is not a sign of a collapsing school system but the emergence of fiscal responsibility that should improve the plight of KCMO students.

Also, don't get me started on three reporters I've already heard who talk about "the unfolding story in Kansas." Guess the geography classes didn't take too well with many in the national media. :-)

Corporate chaplains add spiritual dimension to employee assistance

Kansas City Star: Corporate chaplains add spiritual dimension to employee assistance

Bob Hodgdon has always treated his 100 employees at Hodgdon Powder Co. in Overland Park as family. However, there are times when even the closest families need outside support.

“We had a lady in our office who died of breast cancer a couple of years ago,” said Hodgdon, whose company manufactures propellants for gun hobbyists who load their own ammunition. “We did what we could to help, such as sending employees with her when she went for treatment, but it still was hard as a staff to deal with the emotional stress and grief.”

That experience led him to look for additional resources to help employees through difficult times. In mid-February, Hodgdon Powder contracted with a corporate chaplain.

Chaplains usually work on contract through a company’s employee assistance program, just as a counselor would. They visit client offices regularly to build relationships with employees and are on call 24/7. Employee participation is both voluntary and confidential.

Although the military, police and hospitals have worked with chaplains for years, they are fairly new to the workplace, said Dan Erickson, founder of People Matter Ministries in Lee’s Summit. ...

The Sunflower Showdown Tonight at 7:00 Central

AP: KU, K-State ready for super Sunflower Showdown

... It should be a great game either way, maybe one of the best in the 113-year history of the Sunflower Showdown.

The buildup was the same for their last meeting on Jan. 30, when Kansas pulled out a taut, 81-79 overtime win in a well-played game at rowdy Bramlage Coliseum.

The stakes will be even higher this time at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence.

Kansas (27-2, 13-1) is ranked second and Kansas State (24-4, 11-3) is No. 5, marking the first time since 1958 — when coach Tex Winter led the Wildcats and Wilt Chamberlain played center for the Jayhawks — the teams are both in the top 5. ...  [Picture Source]

Okay, folks ... here is the story. KU's Allen Fieldhouse is the Kansas version of the imperial death star. Wildcats are the Jedi seeking to bring balance to the force and end the long night of tyranny. Tonight the Jedi wild kitties enter the Allen death star to do battle against Darth Self and his imperial Jayhawk stormtroopers. May the force be with you, young Wildcats.

EMAW! Go Cats!

Groundhog Run attracts its biggest crowd

Kansas City Star: Groundhog Run attracts its biggest crowd

When it was just about over Sunday morning, an hour and a half after the second and final race of the day had started, race director LeRoy Unruh revealed the turnout for the 28th annual Groundhog Run.

“It’s the biggest ever,” he said, turning to another race worker for confirmation. “We’ve never had 3,000 finishers in this race.”

Nearly 1,900 runners had crossed the finish line in the 5-kilometer run, while another 1,100 had completed the 10K as runners flocked to the underground Hunt Midwest SubTropolis for an escape from the winter cold.

“It’s good for serious runners who want to do a race indoors during the winter, because you can’t do much else,” said Gina Morgan, the top women’s finisher in the 10K. “It’s very unique.”

That it is — according to its Web site, the Groundhog Run is believed to be the biggest organized underground run in the country — and that’s what keeps luring eager runners to the SubTropolis each winter. From across the metro area and beyond. ...

... The Groundhog Run benefits the Children’s Therapeutic Learning Center, which serves young children with disabilities and their families.

A little know fact about Kansas City is its underground storage facilities. I think K. C. has more underground business and storage square footage than any city in the U. S. The entrance to one of these facilities is about a quarter mile from my house. I wonder if they'll ever turn any of these cave locations into condos.

Branstrom sinks shot, with no reward

I suspect by now you've seen this clip of the basketball coach sinking a half-court shot blindfolded. This happened at Olathe Northwest High School. I went to high school at Olathe North (then the only high school), and Olathe Northwest is across the street from where my parents worship. (Olathe is a Kansas City suburb.) Kinda cool to see a local event go viral.

Documentary reveals Auschwitz horror through survivors' memories

Kansas City Star: Documentary reveals Auschwitz horror through survivors' memories

At the end of each workday, the concentration camp prisoners usually stood in a straight line to be counted.

One day, however, they were told to form a square. Guards had captured two girls trying to escape. They were to be hanged.

The prisoners had to watch.

“The girls came out carrying the stools they were to stand on,” Sonia Warshawski recalled recently. “One of them yelled out to us, ‘Never forget.’ ”

For decades, remembering her Holocaust experiences wasn’t the issue for Warshawski, who endured stays at several camps as a teenager during World War II. The challenge came in being able to tell others.

That’s changed now.

Warshawski is one of 12 Kansas City area survivors of the Auschwitz camp complex in Poland to detail her experiences in a new documentary. To observe the 65th anniversary of the camp’s 1945 liberation, the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education will screen the documentary, “Auschwitz,” for its members on Wednesday.

The film’s completion gladdens Warshawski, today one of a small number of area survivors both willing and able to detail her experiences for school and church groups.

“I feel a responsibility to speak for the ones who didn’t make it,” said Warshawski, 84. “The most important thing is not to forget and not to remain silent.”

The new “Auschwitz” film is part of a larger effort to make mid-1990s videotaped testimony of Kansas City area Holocaust survivors, refugees and witnesses more accessible to area students and educators. ...

For a photo log commemorating the 65th anniversary of liberation, visit here.

Foreclosure crisis creates thousands more vacant buildings in KC

Kansas City Star: Foreclosure crisis creates thousands more vacant buildings in KC

Fueled by the foreclosure crisis, the number of vacant buildings in Kansas City has spread like the real estate version of a pandemic flu.

In just one year, city officials say, the number has exploded by 2,000 to more than 7,500 empty or abandoned structures. That figure doesn’t include thousands of empty lots.

“It’s staggering what is happening,” said Cindy Circo, who represents some of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in Kansas City’s East Side.

The problem touches every area, from as far north as Kansas City International Airport to portions of Kansas City that are south of Grandview. But it most dramatically affects the urban core, where some streets may have only one occupied home left.

This summer, Forbes magazine helped focus city leaders on the problem, naming Kansas City the nation’s most “abandoned city” because of high rental and homeowner vacancy rates.

City officials and others are critical of the study, saying Kansas City certainly is not the nation’s most abandoned city. It pales in comparison to Detroit, Baltimore or troubled Rust Belt centers such as Cleveland, or even smaller towns such as Youngstown, Ohio.

But the study woke up Kansas City leaders. ...

Zack Attack Not Enough

Mrs. Kronicle and I ventured out to the K to see the Royals take on the Angels. Zack Greinke was pitching. It wasn't his best night, but he still managed to hold them to one run in eight innings. Alas, the Royals lost in the eleventh inning.

I did get a few decent pics like the one below.

I love the Washington Nationals because ...

... without the Nationals (46-86) the Kansas City Royals (50-81) would be the worst team in Major League Baseball.

Sigh....

Health Care Forum (Via Streaming Video)

United Methodist Church of the Resurrection (Leawood, KS)

Health Care Forum

Tuesday, August 25, 7 pm, Sanctuary

Live webstreaming at live.cor.org

Join us for the opportunity to listen in as a panel of professionals discuss the challenges faced by people who cannot afford health care and the issue of health care reform. Panel participants are:

• Sam Turner, CEO, Shawnee Mission Medical Center
• Myra Christopher, President and CEO, The Center for Practical BioEthics
• Keith Wisdom, CFO, United Health Care Midwest
• Rick Kahle, President, Employee Benefits, Lockton Insurance
• Hilda Fuentes, CEO, Samuel Rodgers Health Center
• Dr. Ritch Richardson, Emergency Room Physician, Johnson County EMS Director
• Brenda Sharpe, CEO, REACH Health Foundation

Dr. Bill Reed, chair of the department of cardiovascular disease at KU Medical Center and a member of the Kansas Health Authority board, will be helping to craft the questions for the discussion.

 

 

COR Goes Downtown

Tonight was the inaugural service for the Church of the Resurrection (Methodist megachurch in Leawood, Ks) at their downtown Kansas City, Mo, location, Rez Downtown. They were expecting fifty people, and I would guess they had at least 250.

The service was held in the Scarritt Building, catty-corner from the Grand Avenue Temple (Methodist), where the church will take up permanent residence in November with weekly services. (They are meeting once a month until November.) Grand Avenue Temple has been downtown at this location since 1866, but it has desperately needed revitalization for many years. The church and twelve-story buildings were built as units in 1912.

Melissa and I had a great experience. If you live downtown (or even if you don't), you should give it a try. Hats off to COR.

 

Kansas City Gitmo?

Kansas City Star: Kansans swiftly oppose moving Guantanamo detainees there, but Michigan may be more open to the idea

Leavenworth County may be the prison capital of the United States, but don’t expect leaders to roll out the welcome mat for Guantanamo Bay detainees. ...

The original plan was not to move the detainees to the northwest side of the Kansas City metro (Leavenworth) but rather to the Truman Sports Complex on the east side of the metro. However, a federal judge ruled that subjecting prisoners to endless Royals and Chiefs games was cruel and inhumane punishment.

 

 

Intern program helps revive historic square

Kansas City Star: Intern program helps revive historic square

Ray James, a Graceland University student from Chicago, says some of his friends “are doing grunt work” in their summer internships.

He, on the other hand, has helped open and run a business.

“This is real hands-on, the opportunity of a lifetime,” said James, who with 11 other Graceland students is reviving several businesses in Independence.

Collin Isham, an economics major from Overland Park, said, “This program is the buzz around campus, especially among business majors.”

Credit goes to Ken McClain, who, with his wife, Cindy, has opened or reopened 12 businesses around the historic Independence Square.

McClain is an Independence lawyer who also serves as chairman of the Graceland board. Three years ago, he decided to finance summer internships for Graceland students.

It’s a competitive program. Applicants have to be recommended by their professors. Once selected, the winners receive a $5,000 stipend, room and board and an opportunity to earn more through a bonus system, all courtesy of the McClains.

“We get bright, enthusiastic people who work hard and come up with a bank of ideas and projects for our year-round employees to put in place,” said McClain, “things we might not have come up with because on our own we’re all too busy taking care of the daily business.” ...

Royals in 1st at the End of April?

A photo of the sky above Kansas City today.

Tea Party in Kansas City

It was a beautiful sunny day in Kansas City today, and I decided to go outdoors for a while. One of the Tax Day Tea Parties was happening at the Liberty Memorial, not far from where I live, so I grabbed my camera and roamed around the event for almost an hour. I assembled some of my pictures and video clips into a YouTube video. Nothing fancy. Just some sights and sounds. Here it is.

People Voting With Their Feet: Atlanta Ranks #1

From Carpe Diem

K.C. MO in there at number 12.

Irish in the Hood

Many people don't realize that the Irish have played a central role in Kansas City's history. Our St. Patty's Day parade is the third largest behind New York and Boston. After thirty years of holding the parade downtown, they moved it to Midtown Kansas City on Broadway, just a few blocks from my house. I walked over to 34th Terrace and Broadway, near the start of the parade, and snapped these shots.

First, you must have bagpipes.

Then you must have the mayor. So here is Mark Funkhouser.

Irish politics was also on display.

You also need a little craziness.

Of course, you can't forget this guy.

BTW, the church in the background above is Redemptorist, where most of my neighbors attend. The congregation now has a predominately Mexican-American feel, but in the early days, this neighborhood (and where I live a few blocks west) was largely Irish, and I'm told Redemptorist was also Irish.

Below is the Marine color guard.

These dancers stopped to show their moves every block or so.

You can't have a K. C. parade without cowboys.

I loved the dog hitching a ride in this one.

Every K. C. parade must have the Marching Cobras.

Toward the end of the parade was the International House of Prayer with a contingent of people stretching more than a city block, dancing and singing to music that sounded like Delirious. They would yell, "Happy St. Patrick's Day" and "Jesus loves you."

Here is evidence that the  Kronicler was actually there.

As I walked back home, I passed Browne's Irish Deli, about four blocks from my house. To say they were doing a brisk business would be an understatement.

It was sunny, temp was around 70, and there was just a light breeze. God was smiling on the Irish in K. C. today.