Saturday, January 13, 2007
(11:59 AM) | Dave Belcher:
Kansas City--good jazz, cool art, many fountains...not much else
Holy Crap! I can't believe I still have posting privileges after my long absence from the 'Blog.A quick update, and then two concerns.
Jodi and I are now in Kansas City (where Jodi is doing an MDiv)--a fairly cool place with a whole lot of art and a whole lot more poverty, racism, and even (yes) segregation...there is literally a dividing line (Troost Rd.) that used to serve to distinguish between the whites and blacks--still there, and still just as interpellatingly divisive; I am putting the final touches on my thesis on baptism and dispossession; and I will likely be applying for PhD programs in December for next fall (2008).
Concerns:
1) Kansas City might be fairly cool, but they suck when it comes to books. I literally called EVERY Christian bookstore--including every Orthodox Church in town that has a bookstore--looking for John Chrysostom's On Wealth and Poverty (this was after discovering that not a single theological library in all of KC has this book)...this is one of those later translations that is not available for free online (published by St. Vlad.'s Sem. Press in the Popular Patristics Series...sorry for no link). Now, this concerns me first of all because I need the book...soon; but, secondly, because all of the places I can get it (online)--including an Orthodox "supply" company--charge at least $12 for the book (St. Vlad.'s charges a whopping $15, even though--as printed in the backs of all the other Pop. Patr. books, like St. Basil's On the Holy Spirit--it was once listed at $9.95...inflation baby)...I don't think I need to mention, for those of you who have read the text, how ironic it is that one would charge any amount of money for this particular text. In addition, I can't find any library OR bookstore in town that has ONE book by Michel de Certeau; pray that I do not commit suicide.
2) The Kansas City Star has for the most part ignored the Somalia "incident," with the exception of this--merely informative--article from Thursday (notice how the Pentagon has already claimed a "pretty limited" involvement in the region, and especially claiming absence of troops in Somalia). For example, today, there was an oh-so-brief article about child soldiers in hiding in Somalia (important of course, along with the whole Invisible Children movement, but mentioning nothing at all about US involvement in the region); in #3 of the "Top 5" stories for Friday there was mention of Ethiopian and U.S. forces tracking down Al Qaeda personnel (repeated again at #3 in yesterday's Top 5); and taking the top spot in today's Top 5, there is a report of Ethiopian forces tracking Al Qaeda (notice the already absent US). But, perhaps the elusive nature of the US's involvement in the region is more national, and the KC Star is just victim of lack of information. Either way, it concerns me.
Hope you are doing well. Peace.
