Powerful Movies-Indy Film Festival

The Indianapolis Film Festival is going on and I'd like to suggest two movies for moving, educating, and challenging you.

The two are “Beyond Belief,” about two 9/11 widows who devote themselves to helping war widows in Afghanistan ; and “The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo ,” which examines the use of rape as a socially and economically devastating weapon in Congo ’s brutal civil war. After each screening the audience will be invited to stay for a free-ranging discussion of the significance of the film, the issues it raised, how those issues touch us here in the US, and what we might be able to do to help find solutions.
For more information go to www.provocate.org or www.indyfilmfest.org. Here are the show times of the two films: “The Greatest Silence”:
Tuesday April 29, 5:45 PM (filmmaker Lisa Jackson will be present for this post-film discussion)
Thursday May 1, 1:00 PM
“Beyond Belief”
Saturday April 26, noon
Monday April 28, 5:45 PM
Wednesday April 30, 1:00 PM
Note the special appearance on April 29 by the maker of “Greatest Silence,” Emmy-winning director Lisa Jackson. This should be a particularly fascinating discussion. Ms Jackson will also discuss her film and other projects noon the next day, April 30, at Lockerbie Square United Methodist Church .
Please watch these clips below. We must know, even when this knowledge is painful, we must know.

World Crisis: Obesity and Hunger

If you haven't heard, there is a food emergency in our world. There are 40 countries on the verge of political unheaval due to this food crisis. Haiti has been making the news because they are experiencing the terror of not being able to find food. Food for their pleading children, food for their next meal. A kilo of rice, which is a little more than 1/2 lb, is going for $30.
Hunger effects the rate of disease, death, political crisis (war), and terrorism. If you are hungry, you can't learn, you can't work, and you lose hope.
The irony is, there is a different battle in the devoloped world...obesity. The rate of obesity just went above the number of those who are starving.
We have the means to end hunger. The financial costs to end hunger are relatively slight. The United Nations Development Program estimates that the basic health and nutrition needs of the world's poorest people could be met for an additional $13 billion a year. Animal lovers in the United States and Europe spend more than that on pet food each year.

Fabulous Fours

It seems like daily Maegan says something that is really funny, or sometimes downright shocking. I wish I had been writing all these wonderful tid bits down so I won't forget. Here are a few from the past few days.
After church Sunday I asked Maegan what she learned at Sunday school. She usually doesn't remember, but can tell me who didn't treat her right. Well, Sunday she said that she didn't remember the lesson, but she had two evil ladies in her class. This cracked me up! I'm sure these ladies, of malcontent, corrected Maegan in someway, or got in the her way of pleasure.
Doug told me that the other day, when I got out of the van and walked in front, Maegan told Doug to "smash me over with the van." Wow, that's lovely!
So, apparently Maegan did learn something at Sunday school. Today I told Spencer not to touch the toilet because it's dirty. Maegan affirmed my instruction by saying, "yeah, that's what the Bible says." I said, "the Bible has nothing to say about touching the toilet" (or maybe in does in the Old Testament). She said, "in my Bible it does!"
As for Spencer, he can finally say 'Maegan'. His first word was "ba-gir", translated "bad girl." So, for the past year he has called her "bad girl", with no attempt at her given name. Doug and I gave lots of hoots, hollers, and high fives to show Spencer how proud we are that he can say 'Maegan.' I thought she would be glad too. Nope, she started screaming, "Noooooo! That's not my name. He needs to call me Squeeks!" Yes, I should have known.

Put in your 2 cents

This election season, we've heard a lot of sensationalized talk about religion, but not nearly enough substance.

On Sunday, April 13, The Compassion Forum, sponsored by diverse religious leaders, will enable us to go deeper with the candidates -- and you can vote on what they'll be asked -- live on CNN, as well as CNN International!

Please use the link below to vote for the question that you want answered on Sunday:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2518/t/5796/tellafriend.jsp?tell_a_friend_KEY

Behold it's.....

Who do you think this looks like?

Leggo the Prego

So, we are on day 5 of sick kids...now it's Spencer. However, with Spencer being sick there is lots o' whining and not a lot of reading.
However, yesterday I did my Italian cooking. I have to say I love my sauce and my meatballs! I also made a most delicious fruit tart....a good replacement for all the chocolate and peanut butter I've been consuming. I wore my apron, turned on Madame Butterfly, and didn't enjoy much of it because Spencer was crying off and on and needed me to hold him. I did enjoy telling Doug how lucky he is to have such a great wife that makes him such delicious meals. I think I forced the issue too much by asking him for commentary while he ate..."Doug, would you say it's delicious...can you taste the love?...don't you think this tart is just fantastic?!"
Well, Maegan saw me taking a picture of my tart last night (other bloggers do it :), so today she asked me to take a picture of her lunch art and post it on my blog. And about that lunch, I asked her what she wanted to eat for lunch today. When I said lunch was ready, she asked, "did you get my order right?" Oooo, I bit my tongue.

il bel far niente, the beauty of doing nothing (but reading)

Ok, so I'm posting about another book. Yes, I do more than sit around reading books. But, the silver lining in having a sick child, is that your sick child just wants to lay around and snuggle. I'm good at snuggling and reading at the same time.
So, I'm almost half way into another book today. Funny, I don't want to admit what I'm reading because it's a #1 New York Times Bestseller (my fear of being main stream). And, more shamefully to me, all the praise for this book comes from the likes of Glamour, GQ, Elle and Marie Claire (and there are some quality publishers listed). However, I'm loving this book, Eat, Pray, Love, because right now she is writing about Italy. I love when people write about Italy (oh, yes, I did love visiting Italy as well)! It's all I can do to keep from creating a large batch of homemade, real Italian, tomato sauce (I was taught by a lady who lived in southern Italy with her Italian husband for 2 years) Whenever I make this sauce I put on my Apron (of no consequence to Italy), play Madame Butterfly, and sip red wine. However, we don't need great Italian tonight because I'm going to eat American pizza right before cleaning the toilets at the church.
So, there will probably be more posts about this book because reading about her shout outs to the universe is a little challenging...but at the same time it stems out of a true search for conversation with God. And, she spends time in India and Indonesia....so that should evoke more thoughts from me (and more ethnic cooking, I suppose.)

Freedom's Fortune

I just finished "A Thousand Splendid Suns" in 3 days and before that I read "Infidel" an autobiography of Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I couldn't put these books down. Do you ever finish a book and have to take a time to grieve that it's over? Suddenly these people I've been reading about are gone from my life.
Ayaan Hirsi grew up in Somalia, fled to Holland after a forced marriage and then ended serving in Holland's Parliment. Due to terrorists threats against her life (because she began to speak out about the treatment of Muslim women) she had to flee to the States and now does research for a D.C. think tank. I gained a lot of perspective on what life is like for women in Somalia and learned to savor my freedom as a result of this new knowledge.
"A Thousand Splendid Suns" is the story of two Afghani women. This is a fictional novel, but is based on true life circumstances and depicts real Afghan. history. It's important to know the horrors women face in radical Islamic societies. I must urge you to read these books, or books like them. It's so important to know about life outside of our own exsistence. I really can't get over the difference between my life and the lives of many women who have no freedom, have no choice about anything, and have no way out. These books are captivating and perspective changing. Don't miss out!