Friday, February 29, 2008

I've hit a WALL-E

Man I love Pixar...


The McFlyian Guide to Time Travel (or LOST Ep. 5)

1.21 Jigawhatts! Great Scott!
Maybe not 1.21 Jigawhatts but 2.342!
I don't have time to give a recap or share my thougts on last night's episode (Poor me - I am heading to the house of Mouse) - so check out these as they do a much better job than I could do:

Here
Here
Here
Here
Here

This episode was one of my top 3 favorites of all 4 seasons! What did you think? Any new questions/theories?

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

First Ever Guest Blogger!

It is with great pleasure that I introduce our first ever guest blogger - Cool Dad from Are We Still Cool? Let's give him a warm Unscrambled Eggs welcome! Although we've just 'met' I feel like we're 'Family' - Take it away Cool Dad!

The earth and the greatest commandments

Hello Unscrambled Eggers! Thank you to Matt for asking me to guest post. I am honored! This is my first-ever guest post, so I hope to not lose all credibility for myself and Matt's fine blog. Radical! (note to self: delete evidence that I still say 'radical' after all these years)

Matt asked me to write about what I think a Christian's role should be in taking care of the environment. I'm not a biologist or scientist of any sort, but I have an opinion.

Caring for the environment has become a hot topic in churches with believers often taking sides: strongly for it or vehemently opposed to it. Arguments against caring for the earth include ideas like:

1) We should spend our time ministering to people instead.
2) Jesus is coming back and this earth will be destroyed. Why bother?
3) That's a Democrat/liberal thing to do. We don't do that around here.

Despite those arguments, I am for caring for the earth. Well, thanks again to Matt for asking me to guest post. What's that? Oh, I should explain? Why, sure!

I see caring for the earth as a way to follow the greatest commandments: Love the Lord your God with everything that is in you and love your neighbor as yourself.

LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD

The earth gives God glory and hosts His glory. Here's part of why I think so (all NIV).

Psalm 96:11-13
Let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them, they will sing before the LORD

Psalm 72:19
May the whole earth be filled with his glory

Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made (note: the earth is included in "what has been made")

There are many verses that connect God, His glory, and the earth. If we love God, I think it makes sense to be good stewards of something that gives Him so much glory and is filled with His glory. Also, I believe He crafted the earth with us in mind.

Isaiah 45:18
He is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited.

He prepared this place for us. If God made this earth with us in mind, I want to do my small part to not wreck it.

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF

When God says "neighbors", I think He means more than the people in our homeowner's association. He means everyone we meet. Maybe everyone in the world. Is there anyone who He would not want us to love as ourselves?

It's loving to our neighbors to care for the earth because they live here, too. Also, caring for the earth helps the poor, who depend on the environment as it is. They can't clean their water, import food from faraway places, or haul their waste to somewhere else. They suffer from whatever problems the earth suffers from.

WHAT TO DO

First, I don't believe in exalting the environment. God/Jesus is the only one worthy of being exalted. And I don't believe this is something to devote your life or much time to. People's souls are infinitely more precious. They are eternal. The earth is not.

However, caring for the earth is simple. It's not a huge time commitment to choose to recycling an aluminum can over throwing it away. It's the same with using reusable shopping bags. Or replacing your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent ones. There are many lists of how you can be "green" in your everyday life, so I won't rehash anything here.

Caring for the earth can involve simple actions that create a great impact when many take part. That kind of addresses the argument #1 We should spend our time ministering to people instead. This is what I think about the other two:

2) Jesus is coming back and the current earth will be destroyed, so why bother?

Does anyone KNOW when Jesus is coming back? Jesus could come back before I finish this po




Just kidding, no Rapture yet. Or He could wait another 500 years. If He does, I want my kids, grandkids, and so on to enjoy the same earth that I did.

3) That's a Democrat/liberal thing to do.

What's so political about wanting clean air and water? Or wanting to an alternative to paying $4/gal for gas? Or wanting to save money from my energy bill? It's not a political issue. It's a human issue.

So that's what I think about Christians and the environment. Lemme re-read Matt's email to make sure I've covered all my bases. Wait... he asked me to talk about the Others and the Island? Man!

The Cool Front Starts Today

Check back this evening for Unscrambled Eggs first ever guest blogger - who is said guest blogger you say? Non other than Mr. Cool Dad himself from over at Are We Still Cool? Why have a guest blogger when you blog SO well Just Matt - you ask? Well, first - I don't blog so well - just OK and Second - I think guest blogging builds a stronger blogging community. So check back in later - and be engaged and amazed - heck you just might learn something too!

Monday, February 25, 2008

I TOLD you it was GREAT!

Congrats to Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova for winning the Oscar for Best Music (Song) last night for their song "Falling Slowly" from the movie 'Once.' You heard it here first folks - now if you haven't already - go get the 'Once' Soundtrack - or at least download this song! You can check out the acceptance speech and all the other highlights here.

Friday, February 22, 2008

LOST at EW

Great article/interview with Lost's producers over at EW.com addressing such questions as:

  • Naomi's Braclet
  • Chronological Order of the Flash Forwards
  • Alternate Realities
  • Who's in the coffin
  • The Black Rock (this is for your Dawn & Berry)

Take a look HERE

The List is Almost Complete

Oceanic 6
1. Jack
2. Kate
3. Hurley
4. Sayid
5. Aaron
6. ?

Check out the "Questions" Post for last night's additions and add your own!

Oh and one thing I picked up from re-watching 'The Economist" - Sayid points out that a pager is old technology and that there are newer things that 'The Economist' could use - this imediatly made me think of what Ben said to Locke when he took him to see Jacob - "Like you, He doesn't like technology" or something along those lines - SO is 'The Economist' Jacob or Locke?

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

LOST Questions

So I was up in Gville this past weekend and we were visiting with some friends when the topic of LOST came up. We all came to the same point - The LOST writers/producers are all liars! They teased this 4 season with "Questions...WILL...Be answered!" with dramatic music and everything - problem is - NO STINKING QUESTIONS have been answered - EXCEPT for the one new one they started the season with - "Who are the Oceanic 6?" So what questions can you think of that have not been answered? Post them in the comments section and I will keep this list up to date. I'll start:
1. What is the Smoke Monster?
2. Where is the Island?
3. How did the others that killed the Dharma folks get to the island?
4. Why doesn't Richard Alpert age?
5. How does the Island heal people (ie Lock)?
[Update}
6. Where's Jack's dad?
7. Why can Desmond see the future?
8. What was with the random couple who was buried alive last season?
9. Who was in the coffin?
10. Where is Walt?
11. Why was Libby at Hurley's nut house?
12. Is Vincent the smoke monster?
13. Are Nikki and Paulo really dead?
14. Where is Isabel?
15. What's with the four toed statue?
16. At the end of season 3 Ben tells Richard to take the others to the 'Temple' - what is the Temple?
17. Where are the others?
18. What is going on with the "Watchers"? the ones taken by the others from the tail section - the kids, flight attendant, etc?
[Update 2]
19. How did the 'Pirate Ship', the Black Rock get to the middle of the Island?
20. How come women die when they conceive on the island but not if they conceive off the island?
[Update from 'Eggtown']
21. Why hasn't the helicopter reached the freighter?
22. What happened to Clair/why does Aaron live with Kate off the island?
23. What is up with Daniel's Memory (the cards)?
24. What is Ben's REAL story? (ie how does he have access to 3.2 million?)

If you have any theories for any of these questions - post them in the comments & I will put them up in a separate post.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

COOLer Weather is in the Air

Can you feel it?...Unscrambled Eggs first ever guest blogger is coming!

UPDATE: Disney's 5th Gate

UPDATE: According to this article from the Motley Fool - the 5th Gate will be the long rumored Villain's theme park - which will cater to the Thrill crowd with lots of roller coasters - Sounds good to me. Take a look here - Disney 2010


Apparently Disney is getting ready to announce a new theme park in Orlando. One to compete with Sea World's Discovery Cove. Here is Jim Hill with the news:

Speaking of arriving … Guests will enter DNK through a new, super-sized version of the Adventurers Club at Pleasure Island. As you & your family are registering for that night’s activities, the club’s members will entertain as well as offer hints about the extraordinary adventures that await you.
After you’ve finished checking in, there’s a whole new world to explore. Have you ever dreamed of acting like Indiana Jones and riding a zip line over a pool full of hungry crocodiles? Or hand-feeding a hippopotamus? Well, here you can.
Mind you, Disney’s Night Kingdom will have no traditional theme park rides per se. But you’ll still be able to get your fill of excitement & adventure as you strap on a pair of night vision goggles and then wander out into a pitch-black African savanna. Where you’ll then be able to observe up-close lions & hyenas as they go through their nocturnal hunting routines.
You’ll also be able to try your hand at spelunking as you explore a cave full of bats. Or — if you’re not a big fan of bats — how about rock climbing? Does that sound too much like work? Then why don’t you head on over to that South American-themed enclosure where you can frolic with some penguins?
Rumored price for a days admission - $250-$300 per person - would this interest you?

Paper or Plastic? How about neither?



The Orlando Sentinal has a good article on the use of reusable bags over the plastic ones at grocery stores. If you are not doing this now you're going to have to soon - Whole Foods will stop offering plastic bags all together on April 22 - Earth Day. Thanks to Cool Dad & Mum we now have some sweet reusable ones - we just have to remember to bring them. What do you think?- what do you use?
Photo Copyright: www.keetsa.com

Friday, February 15, 2008

Quick thoughts/questions from 'The Economist'

WOW - Great episode:
Here is what we know:
Oceanic 6
1. Jack
2. Kate
3. Hurley
4. Sayid
5. ?
6. ?

Others (no pun) who get off the Island:
1. Ben

From this weeks flash forward we learn:
- Sayid works for... BEN! - he is a hit man for him.


Questions raised:
- Why does Sayid work for Ben? Wha
- What does Ben have on Sayid?
- Who was 'The Economist' that Sayid was trying to get too? (I think it was the black guy who sent these new people to the island)
- What was up with that secret room in Ben's house on the Island? (All the cash and passports seems to show that Ben could and did leave the Island)
-What does the time difference it took the 'rocket' to get to the Island mean? (our new friend the physicist seemed pretty concerned about it)

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Strike Over = More LOST!

SO the writers strike is over and that means we get more LOST...5 more episodes to go along with the already filmed 8. Looks like there will be a 4 week hiatus between the 8 & 5 though... Thanks to the Lostpedia for the news!

On the Lost note - Since I was out of commission last week - what did you think of LOST? Kinda strange if you ask me.

Sick

I've been sick.
I blame Cool Dad. I don't know how - but somehow he got me sick by blogging about being sick.
I'll be back soon.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Once


If you have not seen the movie 'Once' - go right now and rent it, netflix it, buy it, whatever - just get it - you will be very glad you did. Oh, and when you are done - buy the soundtrack - it is top notch. Then when you are done with that buy Glen Hansard's The Swell Season & anything by The Frames - as these are the guys and gals who made and star in the movie and they are amazing. I knew nothing about them before this movie and now I cannot get enough of them.

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words

...but is it worth 2 and a half minutes? Because that is what I am charged for sending a photo text message on my new prepaid phone....

UPDATE: Random Thought #2

I have 13 windows open on my screen right now...is that normal?

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

CLEAN Clothes

In response to my two previous posts - here & here - where fair trade and safe working conditions were topics of interest and ones that should be considered when we are shopping, I have done some research and come up with the following lists:

List of Non-Clean Clothes Providers:
http://www.sweatfree.org/hallofshame

Clean Clothes Providers:
Clean Clothes Connection
SweatX
American Apparel
No Sweat Apparel
Kumba Clothing
Maggies Clean Clothes
UNITE (Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees)
Justice Clothing

Clean Clothes Organizations:
SweatFree Communities
PICA - Peace through Interamerican Community Action
The National Labor Committee (NLC)
United Students Against Sweatshops
The Worker Rights Consortium (WRC)
The Campaign for the Abolition of Sweatshops and Child Labor
The Maquila Solidarity Network (MSN)
The Union Label and Service Trades Department, AFL-CIO
Behind the Label
National Mobilization Against Sweatshops
Slaves To Fashion
The Garment Worker Center
Sweatshop Watch
The Clean Clothes Campaign
Students for Labor Justice
The Clean Clothes Connection
The InterReligious Task Force on Central America
Kav La'Oved

Please have a look, add your own, and pass this along so that we can be informed - the more who read and get involved the faster we can make a difference.
I am still looking for one that provides information on popular brands like Nike, Burberry, etc. as well as Brands sold at Target - i.e. Mossimo, Etc.

HTML Good Buddy

As mentioned on Brody's Blog - Help PD out!

My friend P.D. asked me to get the word out about a little bet that he has going with his boss and the validity of blogging. Turns out his boss doesn’t think P.D. can get more people to their company’s website by spreading it through blogs. He writes:
So on Tuesday and Wednesday they are counting the number of hits our website gets. That’s where you all come in . All you have to do is click ,
Color Landscapes, and you are done. We are giving away a tree every month so go ahead and register for it. Who knows you may win a Japanese Maple. But I need as much traffic as I can get going to this website over the next two days. So pass the word along!

So head
click here, help P.D. and then go about your day.
Thanks.

Why Tom is so Cool



See the rest here

UPDATE:
I read an interview recently in the latest issue of Relevant Magazine with the founder of 'Buy Shoes Save Lives' where he makes the claim that TOMS SHOES are made in china for cheap. This didn't sit well with me and so I did a little digging. Here is the real story straight from the mouth of TOMS SHOES founder Blake Mycoskie in an interview found here:

Toms is brand named after the Shoes for Tomorrow, a program that intends to provide shoes for all kids in South America. And the company closely follows those principles. Based in Argentina, its manufacturing process closely follows the guidelines of fair labor practices. "If we're going to have a company that's geared toward helping people, we don't want to hurt one person to help another", said Toms' founder Blake Mycoskie in an interview.

Now that is more like it and ties in with our discussion from the 'Should I buy that?' Post. Do you know of any other Brands that practice these principles?

Monday, February 4, 2008

Good Vibrations

I posted this in the comments of my last LOST blog - but thought it would be good to post here as well.
I read somewher of one idea where the Losties come back to the island BEFORE their first time there - confusing - but let me explain - in the looking glass hatch, the girl there tells Charlie that the 'code' to unlock the jamming signal is a numerical representation of 'good vibrations' by the beach boys and that it was designed by a musician. Get where I am going. When Charlie sits down at the keypad, he hums the tune and then plays it on the numbers on the firt try! No mistakes! Perhaps Charlie IS the musican who coded it!...How about them apples!

Friday, February 1, 2008

Soles United - The new TOMS Shoes

Check them out: www.solesunited.com



Holy #2!

I told you Hurley was tied to the Island - he could SEE Jacob! Now for the crazy part... IS JACOB CHRISTIAN SHEPHARD?! Here are a few more questions raised last night:
1. Who was the "lawyer" that came to meet Hurley in the mental inst?
2. Who "needs" Hurley - as was referenced by dead Charlie?
3. Is Oceanic Air tied to the Island? I think so - if you got sucked in to ABCs ploy and watched the show after LOST - you saw the Oceanic Airlines Commercial - in it there are flashes of a guy saying "these guys can't be trusted","we found the survivors". Remember that Oceanic's position on the crash, according to Nadia, was that they found flight 815 and there were no survivors.
4. Hurley references that he is part of the "Oceanic 6" - As I mentioned in my previous post - this means 6 got off the island - we know 4 of them (Jack, Kate, Hurley, & the guy in the coffin)
5. Which brings me to - who the heck is in the coffin?!
6. Oh - and what are they (the oceanic 6) not supposed to tell?

Timeline of flash-forwards:
-the flash-forwards we saw tonight were before the ones we saw in the last 2 episodes of Season 3. - We know this because: Jack is of right mind, just starting to drink (screwdriver as he watches the car chase), mentions to hurley that he is thinking of growing a beard.

This is all I have time for now -what are your thoughts on the premeir?