This Guy Falls Down

New Zealand, Home of Middle Earth

One of my favorite scenes from The Office is when Dwight Schrute, asked about his vacation plans, announces that he's going to New Zealand to "climb to the top of Mount Doom". While you can't literally go to Middle Earth when you go to New Zealand, you can see much of the scenery which was used as a backdrop for the film. And for those who are really into it, you can go on special tours which will take you to actual filming locations.

New Zealand's tourist website could make a good jumping off point for further exploration.

I offer you this (prescheduled) post because, if all goes according to plan, I'll be in New Zealand today. As always, it will be a whirlwind kind of visit and I won't get to do much in the way of siteseeing. But you never know - last time we were here, we went to Hobbiton. We'll see...

Hidden Mickeys

When I was at Disney World recently, I picked up a book called Hidden Mickeys. I had heard about this phenomenon from a friend and had even seen the book before. This isn't the kind of thing you would want to investigate the first time you went to Disney. It's more for those who have been a few times and are fascinated by the attention to detail that went into planning the parks and resorts as well as the fun that the Disney Imagineers must have had when they were designing the place. For example, when you're on "It's a Small World", there's a bunch of grape leaves shaped like Mickey ears. Or when you turn the MGM Studios map over you can see the silhouette of Mickey right near the Sorcerer's Hat. These are just the tip of the iceberg. I highly recommend getting the book the next time you visit Disney World and want to experience the parks in a whole new way...

For further info check out the following links:

HiddenMickeys.org

Author's website

Hidden Mickeys at Mousepal.com.

10 Steps for Boosting Creativity

You know how sometimes you read a book and think you know it, and then read it again a few years later and it's completely different than how you remember it? I almost skipped over this link when I first came across it. "Creativity? Got it. Next topic." I felt a little guilty for having such a feeling of, well, smugness, so I headed to the list. Bach? Carrying a notebook? A dictionary? These are some pretty good tips that could go a long way towards getting out of a rut...

Dan Allender

I recently had the opportunity to see Dan Allender speak. Dan is one of those rare individuals who can combine intellectualism with emotion. He has several books on marriage and a couple of intriguing titles on using your past story to point to where God wants you to go. Needless to say, I purchased a couple of his books and look forward to checking them out...

Get your emergent on

One topic which has come up over and over again is the emerging/ emergent church. Christianity Today did a special feature on the phenomenon and provides a staggering amount of reading material on its website. This would be a great place to get a lay of the land on the subject and get a sense of some of the core issues.

(via tallskinnykiwi)

Off to Oz

I'm leaving today for Australia and New Zealand. We do four shows in Aussie and then Parachute Festival in New Zealand. I've got a couple of scheduled posts coming at you in the coming days, and if I get the chance at any internet access I'll certainly update.

Also check out the Third Day Weblog as I hope to use that as a travel journal even if I have to upload it when I get back...

A lot of news on the climate change front

• It was reported earlier this week that Bush plans to address global warming in his forthcoming State of the Union address. While White House spokesman Tony Snow won't go into details, he has said it will be addressed, and that it won't involve emission caps: "If you're talking about enforceable carbon caps, in terms of industry-wide and nation-wide, we knocked that down," said Press Secretary Tony Snow. "That's not something we're talking about."

  This is of great interest to me. Most of the G8 and a Democratic Congress are now sitting on go to roll out some mandatory carbon tax. Maybe "cooler heads" can prevail with some kind of market-driven alternative. We can only hope.

• Science and religion get together and nobody gets hurt: a coaltion of scientists and evangelical leaders issued a statement on climate change earlier this week.

  "God will judge us for destroying the Creation. Therefore, we as evangelicals have a responsibility to be even more vigilant than others," [Rev. Richard] Cizik [of the National Association of Evangelicals] told a news conference.

  "Science can be an ally in helping us understand what faith is telling us," he said. "We will not allow the Creation to be degraded, destroyed by human folly."

  Read full story HERE.

• Finally, Dr. Heidi Cullen of the Weather Channel caused a storm of her own when she suggested that meteorologists who deny the existence of human-induced global warming should be kicked out of the AMS. From her blog post dated December 21:

  Meteorologists are among the few people trained in the sciences who are permitted regular access to our living rooms. And in that sense, they owe it to their audience to distinguish between solid, peer-reviewed science and junk political controversy. If a meteorologist can't speak to the fundamental science of climate change, then maybe the AMS shouldn't give them a Seal of Approval. Clearly, the AMS doesn't agree that global warming can be blamed on cyclical weather patterns. It's like allowing a meteorologist to go on-air and say that hurricanes rotate clockwise and tsunamis are caused by the weather. It's not a political statement...it's just an incorrect statement.

(HT: icontact)

Fold your shirt in 2 seconds flat

As simple as this is, it will blow your mind. There are many skills I have in my possession, but folding shirts hasn't been among them. Until now. After a few practice tries, I can now quickly fold my shirts better than ever. Notch up one major accomplishment for '07.

Also, check out their website for a step-by-step breakdown.

Thank you, Pat Callahan. Thank you.

Add 10 Years to Your Life - Guaranteed!

Turn off that darn television, according to this great article.

Simon Cowell on Bob Dylan

Let it be known that I like Simon Cowell, and I agree with him 99% of the time. But I don't even know how to respond to this...