Westword Music Showcase

Colleen and I went to the Westword Music Showcase this past weekend. The Showcase is like being an extra on the set of Almost Famous, where everyone's doing their best 70's rock-era impression with Urban Outfitters rip-offs. The best part, though, wasn't the CCR lookalikes. It was seeing our friend Chris playing with his band Laylights. Funny thing is, Chris grew up right across from us on Lake Murray and went to Irmo High School. So here we are, the three Carolinians. And who would have thought that a band geek from S.C. would grow up to be such a rock star?

So, anyway, for Denver locals, check out Laylights. And for everyone else, I've been listening to Corinne Bailey Rae's debut CD and Gnarls Barkley. Both are fabulous!

National Hunger Awareness Day

So I know it's 6/6/06, and we're all supposedly waiting for the world to come to an end. But, since it's already 3:48 p.m., I'm thinking we'll see another day. And since the world will be around tomorrow, the world's problems will as well.

On top of being some apocolyptic, Satan's spawn date, it is also National Hunger Awareness Day. In honor and in memory of those who suffer and who have suffered from this preventable tragedy, I looked up some articles from Relevant magazine and Bread for the World's website.

Hunger is not a mysterious illness that cannot be solved. With today's technology, people no longer go hungry because the earth does not produce enough food. It's a matter of distribution. As Gandhi said, "There's enough for everyone's NEED, but not for everyone's GREED." David Beckman from Bread for the World writes, "The United Nations Development Program estimates that the basic health and nutritional 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."

Of course, God loves our pets too, but I think that fact gives some indication of priorities. Heather Zydek, writing for Relevant, included a link to a heartbreaking picture of a child dying from hunger. I warn you, it's very graphic and it made me cry. But then again, Mother Theresa once said, “May God break my heart so completely that the whole world falls in.” If you would like, you can view the Pulitzer-prize winning photograph here.

Hunger is not just a third-world problem either. You can find it in cities in Europe and classrooms in America. We see it here at Warren Village.

If you would like to find more information or ways you can help, check out these websites:

www.bread.org
www.one.org
www.hungerday.org