life outside the empire...

i'm sitting on a new leather office chair in my own office next to my new computer (provided by the university) in south korea. true story.

sometimes i think it's all just a dream. the people have been incredible here, and my buddy adam and i are getting pretty good at tying ties, using chopsticks, and bowing when we meet people. nevertheless, i'm sure i'm a walking cultural blunder. i'd love to tell you all more about it, but i have to go to a faculty meeting here in a bit (yes, i'm a full faculty member, and my students call me professor van zee. crazy!).

in the meantime, you can check out my personal blog at justinvanzee.blogspot.com or my friend's at adamvangelder.blogspot.com.

oh, you'll notice that the sub-heading of this blog has been changed to a quote by walter brueggemann. i read "the prophetic imagination" on the way over here, and he's got some good insight on the nature of the prophetic voice. a great read--and a short one too.

The daddy of all conspiracy theories

If you follow the link below, you might experience a slight rush.. its a completely time-consuming thrill for anyone who hasn't started classes yet. What I love about conspiracy theories is the split second at the end when I think "whoa, now I get it!" and feel like I can proceed through the rest of my life knowing the real truth. But it's when I start to develop theories about the theorists that the real torture starts... You start to realize that they are more bent on brainwashing you into believing them than the people they are trying to accuse of starting hoaxes in the first place.

Only one question remains then: Which came first, the conspiracy or the conspiracy theorist? So without further ado... http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/

here's to stephen...

hanging out in the mall of america, drinking coffee from starbucks, talking on his cell phone. what a guy.

On Dave's News

http://www.leeuniversity.edu/first-year/info/suzanne-hamid.asp

Wow. Unbelievable. Who else didn't see that one coming?

CPT in Hebron

So here's something to put a damper on your day. Justin, Stephen, Ruthie, Jami, Bryce and I visited CPT (Christian Peacemaking Teams) in Hebron and here's what happened recently there. Oh yeah, and the guy who attacked CPT with a stick was release a few hours after his arrest (no charges filed) because it was Shabbat. So if I beat someone on Sunday, do I get to go free?

http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2007/07/28/tel-rumeida-violent-settler-attacks-human-rights-workers/