It better quit snowing, 'cause I need to mow my lawn

Hmph. It's after Easter on Vancouver Island. This isn't supposed to happen. ANYTIME! Let alone "spring". Yesch, give me a break. I have yard work to do!

A Pentecostal, an atheist, an Anglican and Buddhist went to heaven...

Here is a great article from the Vancouver Sun ~ The great beyond: A dialogue on Heaven . My friend Pastor Karen Reed, who is on staff at Broadway Church participated in a panel discussion that explored questions about whether heaven exists, whether it's a metaphor, whether it's a place, whether it's in the mind, how one gets there, different ways to interpret scriptures, and whether it is more important to create a heaven in this life than to yearn for an afterlife. It's good stuff. Way to go Karen! You're my hero!

Nanaimo is the Capital of Google Earth!

Have you heard the news? The city of Nanaimo has mapped nearly every conceivable thing using Google Earth and Google Maps, according to Michael Jones, Google Earth's chief technology officer. We have more information about our city than the people of San Francisco.
You can read the TIME article here, or check it out for yourself at earth.nanaimo.ca. There is actually a great hi-rez picture of our house, even though it is about 2 years old, which was before we moved in and before I planted our lawn (which by the way, is growing and will need mowing soon!)

Preachers should pause...

A a preacher I've been aware of the huge communication shift that is going on in our contemporary (read 'postmodern') culture. It should have tremendous influence on how guys and gals like me present, er...preach. I know I am challenged by this, and struggling with it.

Here's an interesting take from Christine Persaud's blog MarketnewsGadgetTalk that underscores the interactive path media providers are exploring. It's not new news, but it's worth keeping in mind.

Early Easter Trivia

With Easter very early this year, coming on March 23, I found this interesting. You may have seen it already.

Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st Full Moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20th.) This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

Based on the above information, Easter can actually be one day earlier, falling on March 22nd, but that is pretty rare.

This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives. Only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early before - only those 95 years old or more! None of us have ever, or will ever, see it any earlier than it is this year. (And all the music pastors said 'AMEN!')

Here are the facts:

1). The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was in 1913, so if you are 95 years old or older, you are the only ones who were around for that!

2). The next time Easter will fall on March 22nd will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22nd was in 1818. So, no one alive today has ever seen or will ever see it any earlier than it is this year!

Nanaimo is Canada's 18th most dangerous city

Maclean's has come up with a list of the most dangerous cities in Canada (pop. 50,000 or more) based on 2006 per capita crime rates. The study took into account six types of crimes: murder, sexual assault, aggravated assault, robbery, breaking and entering, and auto theft.

Nanaimo came in 18th worst. Surprsingly, Regina tops the list (keep your head down, Dustin!), although it was in a virtual dead heat with Saskatoon and Winnipeg. Only one eastern city, Halifax, made the top 10. Five of the top 10 cities are in B.C., although Vancouver comes in at a surprisingly low No. 9. The others are Prince George (4), New Westminster (6), Chilliwack (7) and Victoria (8).

According to Maclean's, the break-and-enter rates in Chilliwack and Victoria would put them among the top 10 per cent of all American cities.

If You Die, I'll Kill You!

BORDEAUX, France (Reuters) - The mayor of a village in southwest France has threatened residents with severe punishment if they die, because there is no room left in the overcrowded cemetery to bury them.

In an ordinance posted in the council offices, Mayor Gerard Lalanne told the 260 residents of the village of Sarpourenx that "all persons not having a plot in the cemetery and wishing to be buried in Sarpourenx are forbidden from dying in the parish."

It added: "Offenders will be severely punished."

The mayor said he was forced to take drastic action after an administrative court in the nearby town of Pau ruled in January that the acquisition of adjoining private land to extend the cemetery would not be justified.

Lalanne, who celebrated his 70th birthday on Wednesday and is standing for election to a seventh term in this month's local elections, said he was sorry that there had not been a positive outcome to the dilemma.

"It may be a laughing matter for some, but not for me," he said.

Is Facebook Over?

Okay, maybe I'm just old, but I have to admit, I'm bored with Facebook. Actually, I never really got too excited about it in the first place. Chris Sorensen, Business Reporter for the Toronto Star has got a good take. Check out his article Has Facebook fatigue arrived? where he says that some of the social network's 67 million users are bored. But if growth is slowing among older people, the website is essential for those aged 12 to 34, who find that without Facebook, 'you're not in the loop'