on giving, purchasing, and snow

Tonight I did two things that I thought I would share here.

1.
I watched 20/20. I normally don't do that, but this particular episode was about charitable giving. They started off pointing out the fact that Salvation Army collected more in front of a Wal-Mart in a small North Dakota town (a more conservative blue-collar town with less money) than in front of Macy's in San Fransisco (a liberal city with a lot of money). Apparently it was a surprise to report that wealthy liberals (aka San Fransisco at large) might, based on their political stance, hope for a better dispersement of wealth but fail to actually step up and help disperse their funds. [Note that this is a gross stereotyping and does not cover 100% of those who might define themselves as either liberal or conservative. Also note that Wal-Mart and Macy's are two different buying environments, and it might have had something to do with the fact that people walking in to Wal-Mart are psychologically "in a different place" than those preparing for Macy's... or something like that. At any rate, it could be cited as not very scientific, but made a point nonetheless. p.s. I was in San Fransisco last August, and there are homeless people there too.] I think this may stem from the fact that a liberal perspective inherently assumes placing the responsibility on the government rather than the citizen. I'm not going to get into liberal vs conservative here (or try not to, since I don't vote based on whether someone's proclaimed mascot is an elephant or jackass, and encourage against voting down party lines when nobody truly subscribes entirely to one party or another...) but this segues nicely into another important point I thought worth re-emphasizing: you cannot count on the government to do anything other than govern. The example cited was New York's Central Park. Apparently there's a non-profit which has raised Central Park from a scar to a highlight of the city. I applaud them and wish others would realize you can't just sit around on your leather couch and hope mighty Uncle Sam will kiss the boo-boo and make it feel better. Organizations protecting wilderness areas that should be Wilderness Areas also highlight this. So do Katrina volunteers. Both hippies and Jesus also prove this point, and I aspire to be like both. [I've thought recently about posting something on here about the similarity between "real" hippies and Jesus but have yet to actually do so... maybe this will force the issue and produce a defense of how I can possibly pray to God in thanks for my organic vegan lunch without some kind of vortex melting my frontal lobe.] I thought this was fairly pertinent since this month's focus at church has been "making an impact" and how to effectively do so. I could share more about that if anybody reading would like to hear more. Enough on this; closing comments -

• Ted Turner is a freaking idiot.
  
• There was one moron billionaire who claimed he "couldn't find enough good charities to invest in... otherwise [he'd] invest more." What hypocrisy! You're an ass. Bill Gates obviously has not had this problem. Hey buddy, give it to me and I'll write a check right now to Vital Ground to buy up what's for sale in Montana for PERMANENT wildlife habitat. (They happen to be holding a matching gift challenge right now, so your money would go twice as far!) ... or Compassion International to sponsor children throughout the Third World. If you don't want to let me spend it for you, why not hold a contest for all your employees. Americans love a good "reality" contest. You could take your favorite employee suggestions and "invest" in those charities as you say. While you're at it, you should also give a reward to the winner. Jerk.
• Apparently there is scientific proof that your brain likes giving more than receiving. I think that's pretty accurate. It feels like Christmas morning every time I get a translated letter in the mail from Ketha in southeast India making me realize what $30 means to him compared to what it means to me.

The only other thing I'd like to point out about giving which was not related to 20/20 is that C.S. Lewis states in Mere Christianity, "I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare."

2.
Secondly (and yes I do appreciate the juxtaposition here...) I bought a new bike this week. I ended up with a 2008 Trek Fuel EX 8. I took it up to the Switzerland Trail for a pre-Vail ride tonight. I'm still getting used to my clipless pedals, which I've never ridden before, but all in all feel ready for the ski lift. Here's hoping I can get myself unclipped if I need to bail prior to smashing my face into a tree tomorrow. Tonight it was just before dusk, and although I didn't get to ride for long, the setting was perfect. Seriously, I don't know what it is, but I feel at home on a bike. That statement goes back to before I went to Woodward (who now have a camp at Copper Mtn) for BMX or rode trails in Hueston Woods at Miami U. I haven't ridden in a while. For some reason I didn't ride much in Austin. That might be because I have yet to get into road riding (will I if I didn't in the kingdom of Lance?). Anyways, it's good to have a full suspension bike now that I'm surrounded by more technical (not to mention containing-black-bears-and-mountain-lions) terrain. Tonight I had to stop to admire the silence, Longs Peak, and the bright pink clouds above a purple Continental Divide backdrop with the moon coming up before the sun is completely down... next time I'll take my camera. Happy times in the Boulder hills! By the way, I'll still ride my oldie-but-goldie Trek to work every day... I don't plan on letting the newbie gather moss though.

Finally, and totally unrelated, last night it snowed in Summit County. In August. Pardon me while I take a minute to enjoy that thought. ... Ok, so what am I going to do tomorrow? Take my new bike up to Vail (a few minutes west of Summit County) and ride down the ski resort mountains before it really snows hard.