Jeremiah 1:4-7

⁴ The word of the LORD came to me, saying,

⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knewyou,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

⁶ “Alas, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

⁷ But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.”

Reflection:

God knew Jeremiah before he was in the womb.  God set him apart and called him before he was born.  The calling Jeremiah receives is to not be afraid for God is going to be with him and to live with God’s heart for a broken people.  Jeremiah’s calling most resembles the calling that Paul received and lived out as we’ve learned through the Corinthians studies.  We live in modern day Corinth and as God has called Jeremiah and Paul, God is calling us to not be afraid for He is with us and to live in this world, with this generation with God’s heart for the broken people.  We are to be the Jeremiahs and Pauls for our generation.

Response:

Let’s pray humbly that God would break our hearts for our broken generation, to live with God’s heart in our daily lives as we work, study, play and worship God.  Let’s remember we are called to be not afraid for the Lord is with us.

Fake blogs or real blogs…does it really matter?

On Sunday, U.S. PhD student, Tom MacMaster, confessed to creating the popular “Gay Girl in Damascus” blog under the pseudonym Amina Abdallah Arraf. The blog highlighted the growing concerns about life in Syria including such topics as women and gay rights.

Last week, on the blog’s host website, a fictional family member reported a kidnapping involving Amina Abdallah Arraf and three armed men. Many of “her” followers were panicked and even created a Facebook group entitled “Free Amina Abdallah” which gathered thousands of supporters.

Once the fraud was revealed, the public has become naturally outraged. On the issue, MacMaster offered an apology for readers, but stated that

While the narrative voice may have been fictional, the facts on this blog are true and not misleading as to the situation on the ground…I do not believe that I have harmed anyone – I feel that I have created an important voice for issues that I feel strongly about.

hmmmm… not misleading, eh?

Well, it is another reminder of how cautious one needs to be on the Web, best summed up by the classic Steiner cartoon below.

Read more about this theatre production’s journey to the Kennedy Center here.

Video by Chris Hartlove.

June 13, 2011
 
Pride and Safety
 
AVP wishes you a Happy Pride!  Pride is a time to celebrate who we are as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people.  During Pride, AVP wants everyone to be safe – below are some tips for how you and your friends and family can stay safe during Pride season. 
 
AVP has a 24-hour bilingual (English/Spanish) hotline at (212) 714-1141 for anyone who has experienced or witnessed violence.
 
Keeping yourself safe

• Have a safety plan (AVP can help):let someone know your plans for the night, such as who you’ll be with and if your plans change.  Brainstorm in advance ways that people can support you.
• Be aware of your surroundings:locate 24-hour establishments to seek help if you feel unsafe.
• Trust your instincts:if you feel threatened or unsafe, remove yourself from the situation as quickly as possible.
• Use wordsto alert bystanders of what’s going on and to frighten (but not anger) an assailant.
• Move towardsa “safer place,” like a more public space.
• Self defense:use your body to defend yourself or get away from an assailant.
• Leave a trail and use your tech:program AVP’s hotline information into your phone; let people around you know when you are leaving a place; text yourself or friends about where you’ll be or where you are; save messages on Facebook, MySpace, OKCupid, Grindr, etc.

 
Getting Support

• If possible, consider medical attention after any incident; violence can create many physical and emotional issues.
• Document the incident:take photos of any injuries; keep records of emails, texts, calls.
• Take care of yourselfby utilizing supportive friends, partners and family.

 
Police Violence

• If you’ve called the police,introduce yourself when they arrive. This shows that you are aware of how to report misconduct.
• If you are harassed or attackedby the police, get their name and badge/car numbers.
• You do not have to consent to a search(of yourself, your car or your house). Do NOT try to stop the police from searching you.  Instead, repeat out loud, “I do NOT consent to this search.”
• You have the rightto watch and document police activities.  Take video and pictures at a safe distance to capture an incident.

 
AVP thanks the Audre Lorde Project and People’s Justice for Community Control & Accountability for sharing this information.
 
If you or someone your love has witnessed or experienced harassment or violence during Pride, call AVP’s 24 hour, bilingual (English/Spanish) hotline at 212.714.1141.  AVP here for you during Pride—and every day. 

Would you elect these Guys?

Citizens are always complaining about how dumb their politicians behave.

These dumb actions seem particularly galling in light of a new report.

The Chronicle of Education explains these elected leaders are far more educated than their constituents.

The publication has posted an interactive map showing the percentage of state legislators who graduated from college.

About 28 percent of Americans earn bachelors degrees, but 74.7% of our state lawmakers have diplomas.

What does this say about our politicians… or our colleges?

The promise of Arab Spring has turned into the heat of the Arab summer.  World attention has now swivelled from the citizen revolts in Tunisia and Egypt to the bloodshed in Syria and Libya.

In Libya, Western nations have intervened on behalf of the citizens , supplying military assistance, possibly even targeting Col. Qaddafi himself.

In Syria, the world is watching as the Assad regime cracks down on rebellious parts of the country. The Assad family has a history of brutality. Hafez Assad quashed a similar rebellion in the Syrian city of Hamaa in 1982. He allegedly massacred between 10-30,000 of his own people in the onslaught.

Should Hafez’s sons Bashar and Maher embark on a similar campaign, should western nations intervene in Syria like they have in Libya?  (cartoon by KAL)