It's Getting Easier and Easier To Be A Sexual Predator

Perhaps I am being alarmist here, but I think parents of teens need to know about and block radiusIM. This site conviently lets you IM with and see the exact location of your fellow chatters.

This super simplifies a sexual predators task of making "live" contact with his next victim.

ht[lifehacker]

Jumpcut [Explore]

If I was an independent artist trying to promote my music would totally film a bunch of small 10 sec movie clips then host a "Make My Video" contest using Jumpcut the coolest new Saocial App I have seen. This site lets you mix and remix video with audio tracks as well. Now that is neat-o

UK Law to ban extreme porn viewing

Kudos to the UK for their new Guardian Law to ban extreme porn viewing. I wonder what the response to such a law would be over here.

Additionally I believe even the generally very liberal on social issues would support such a law, despite that the media is being used in the privacy of one's own home since this pornography "does harm" or at least "appears to harm" another human and therefore should be abhored by any decent society.

Poured Out - A Video About Ugangda

Great Video

McDonalds Must Change Farm Wages

My good friend Sid and have a quarrell over the many international food causes I take intrest in. It is not that he is a heartless SOB who does not care about global poverty, he just feels that there is plenty of suffering in the food supply chain here in America as well.

Sid, here is a cause for you to join with me on. The Coalation of Immokalee Workers and the AFL-CIO have teamed us and are joined by faith based organizations like the Chicago Arch-Diocese and Sojourners DEMANDING that McDonalds and Chipotle change their wage structure for tomato farmers. Currently a tomato farmer makes only $1.00 for every 64 pounds of harvested tomatos.

Join the Campaign to tell McDonalds that the Christian's of America will not stand by and ignore the mandate of scripture.

"So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me," says the LORD Almighty.(Malachi 3:5).

1:12 PM - Baby Lane Is Here

7 lbs 13 Ounces - 20 Inches Long

Noonish - Water's Broke

We have the pregnancy update at 12:00. The water has broken and the wife is 80% effaced. Still no baby... A few more hours and the first born son arrives...

7:45 AM Delnor Arrival

So we called the hospital at 4:30 this morning and they told us to come in at 7:00 not 6:00 so I fell asleep and forgot to call my parents. They got off to a late start so we did not arrive here till about 7:20ish. Checkin and settelment took another 20 minutes and so here we are....

Baby Blogging - Starting At 6:00 AM

I will start blogging tommorow morning as we go through the induction of labor for Lane. Check back soon!!!

45 Minutes & Counting

I have been sitting here at my doctor's office for 45 minutes to get a tetanus shot. This is just silly! I had a rusty staple rip thrugh my shoe and now anything less than an hour of my life gone will be a blessing.

Goggles :: The Google Maps flight sim

Goggles is The Google Maps flight sim offered to the world as another great time waster. Click on the link to fly over and get an arial view of Roselle, IL my hometown.

Summer of 1993 or How I Met Benny

I Got My First Real Guitar
Bought It At The Five And Dime
Played It TIll My FIngers Bled
It Was The Summer of 69!!!

Ok, so none of the preceding words are true about my life at all. I have never had a real guitar, don't think I've ever been to the five and dime, and the summer of 69 I was just an egg in ovaries of High School junior.

So I want to tell you about the summer of 1993. It was High Teen week at Camp Ne-O-Tez and there were two counselors coming from York College. Their names were Benny Nowell and Rachel Forehand. By the time they had arrived at our camp, they had been to already spent several weeks together, and I don't think they were liking each other very much.

Rachel and I spent the week together and when I arrived at school that fall continued our friendship. Rachel married Wes Hanson and we still keep in touch and I still consider them (though they live like 1000s of miles away) two of my best friends.

That is the week I met Benny. I remember he taught us this song,
"Blind Man Sat on The Road and He Cried
Blind Man Sat on The Road and He Cried
Blind Man Sat on The Road and He Cried
He Cried OH OH OH Show Me The Way....."
He also taught us
"He gave me food when I was hungry, surely good to me
He gave me food when I was hungry, surely good to me
He gave me food when I was hungry, surely good to me
He gave me something that the world couldn't give.

I really don't know why I remember him teaching these songs, and yet everytime he comes to mind I go back to those memories.

A few years later, I met Niki, we were instant soul mates. It was like both our minds were off axis is such a way were meant to be instant friends. We spent every night that week staying up late talking and laughing. On about the third night I knew her, I realized she had the same last name as the Benny guy who I had met several years previously. I asked her if they were siblings, and in fact the were married. I thought that was neat since I liked Benny and I liked Niki, so I thought it was very cool they like belonged to each other.

Some of you who are reading this, (other than Niki, Benny's wife) might be thinking Benny has gone on to be with the father, or something like that. It is just not the case. I am writing about Benny because he will be in Chicago this weekend and I encourage you to make sure you hear him speak.

Benny works for a ministry, that is going where no man has gone before, he works for Dry Bones. This ministry is reaching out into the poverty of Denver's homeless youth and bringing the love of Christ to that culture. Benny is living out the mission of Jesus everyday.

This weekend he will be speaking about that mission at three different venues.

On Saturday he will be speaking at a Teen Youth rally at Cardinal Drive Church of Christ where I attend. On Sunday morning he will be speaking at the West Chicago Church of Christ, and on Sunday evening he will be speaking at the Church of Christ in Matteson, IL.

I would encourage any one from here in town to make it a point to learn more about Dry Bones and their ministry to this forgotten population.

A Rant About Mac

I am not a Microsoft is so great yadda, yadda yadda type. I use whatever works best for me. I am on a Microsoft Windows XP machine, I use Ms-Office, and I surf the web with Firefox. Why? These are the items that I find work best.

Then there are the lunatics who want to go on and on about how great Mac is and how crappy Windows is. I am not going to argue the Merits of their stability since I have no experience on a Mac in at least 10 years. I want to make 1 and only 1 point to each of my Mac entusiast friends.

Apple currently has 9 models (laptop and desktop) for a buyer to choose from. That is you can buy any one of 9 computer hardware configuration that run their OS. Windows, since it is a software company not a hardware company is written for and installed on tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of hardware configurations.

So please stop telling me how stable your Mac is, because I don't really care!!!

Baby Rock Records

Baby Rock Records is just what the doctor ordered for our household. With our newest addition arriving any day I will definititely be getting him their lullaby renditions of Coldplay, Radiohead, and Pink Floyd. Check out their site and hear some samples of their work.

Thank you For The VBS Prayers

VBS was a wonderful experience and by the grace of God and answer to prayer I only got angry at the woman who has been giving me problems one time, and I even then I stayed calm and addressed the situation peacefully but firmly.

Our children had a blessed time, and we met a few new families who might consider being a part of our church family.

Open Source » Blog Archive » Uganda, Forgotten Crisis

The situation of the Acholi people will be discussed on Open Source on Tuesday. The program is in rsponse to an article published by The Monitor. These are the same night commuters that are the subject of Invisble Children.

MySpace Birthday Generator

Copy And Paste Code Below:

<embed src="http://kblog.kevinjbowman.com/Birthday_Girl.swf?buttonTitle=Hey%20#form.name#" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="190"></embed>

I had a few people ask me for the code to use my MySpace encouragements for their comments to friends. I am going to do that but since I am pressed for time thse days. I wanted to offer up this little token for those who need to send a MySpace birthday comment.

Get Birthday Code
Enter Friends Name:
Get Your Code:

VBS Starts Tonight

For those of you who have been following my outrage over VBS, it starts tonight. Please pray for God's blessing that I will not explode or let my feelings toward one person have any affect at all on the kids in attendance.

From The Circle To The Back of Her Car...

OK.... So I can't resist... I will try and tell this story one chapter at a time. Fortunately we knew each other less than a year on our wedding day, so at least we can figure it won't be tooooooo many posts!

So sitting down within a few chairs of my she joined our group. She was beautiful, no she was stunning; but she was shy. She joined us, but she did not talk much. Still I savored every word that she did say. I wanted to move over a few seat and start all my playa moves... but I did not. I was as confused as I was twitterpated. Here sat this lovely young lady, and how was I to act when I had heard that message from God so clearly. Additionally, I had been "out of the game" over a year at this point and was I even ready to be back in a relationship. Thoughts about these issues raced through my mind the entire evening as I could not keep my eyes off those amazing deep blue eyes.

Side Note: More about the eyes later... that is an entire LONG story that deserves a post all it's own.

After group our little band of renegades always went out to Fridays. This is the way it was, at least this is the way it had been the previous three weeks since our fellowship had been established. This week however there was a glitch. The new girl had just quit her job at Fridays before moving to Chicago only a few weeks earlier and she did not want to eat at Fridays. If she was going out with us, we were not going to Fridays. The situation demanded immediate attention, standing on a chair I announced to our circle of 8 -10 other people, "in honor of the new girl we are not going to Fridays, we need to go somewhere else." Amazingly enough, somewhere else we did go.

Additional Side Note: As any of you who know me know, I have no problem filling a leadership void, making myself heard, or being generally loud and brash. These people however really did not know me. It was a crapshoot as to how they would respond to the dicatated message of the grungy scrawny guy bellowing orders from on top a chair. One might think I am bragging about my persuasive powers here, but truthfully I just think it is that my wife is hot and just about every other guy wanted to be at the restraunt she wanted to be at.

Steak and Shake was not all I wanted it to be. I mean the food was fair as usual, but I was more concerned about the seating situation. In a best case scenario I would be on one side of the new girl and Kristin or Christine would be on the other side. The actual seating layout was Kevin --Mike -- New Girl -- Jeff and no one else really matters. She had a fellow in the chairs on both sides and I was not in either of them.

Mike was no problem, he was no conversationalist and I never stop talking. I could easily engage her by speaking around Mike. Jeff however was another story.

A Brief Pause For A Side Note Related To An 8 Year Old Argument: My lovely wife claims to this day there was no flirting going on that first night between her and Jeff. She claims that all information in the proceeding paragraph is a figment of my immagination and never occured. In reply I implore you to understand I have seen "While You Were Sleeping" and I know what was going on.

Although I was being quite diligent in my efforts to keep the new girl as the center of attention, to make her feel warmly accepted, and to feel valued by the group; I had an advesary and he had the better seat. Conversation topic after conversation topic, I wooed her with my focalized attentions but still I watched as though his topics were scarce and boorish she was leaning with Jeff. Her body language made it clear, that my wife to be obviously did not get same message I did and my work was going to be cut out for me.

As I watched the leanings I knew I was going to have to bring out my Game 7 skills. I needed an oppurtunity, a moment to be seized that would allow me to be alone with just us to change the tide of her affections. Jeff's presence would have to be eliminated from the equation. The occasion would have to be timed perfectly and presented casually, so I laughed, conversed, and watched for the moment of my execution.

As my timeline was spiraling into inexistence we finished our meals, payed our bills, and headed out to our vehicles; it was now or never, carpe noctum time. I watched her as she said her goodbyes and approached her 2 seat Geo Metro Convertible. Lightbulbs ignited in my mind. My break was here, "Is that a 1992 Geo Metro convertible?" I yelled from my car, running over toward her, "My best in friend in High School had one of those!"

"You gotta let me climb in, it's been forever since I've been in one of those" I pleaded, hoping the desperation of this moment was not showing through.

A Final Side Note: I don't remember all the details of how I ended up sitting in the back of her of car. A fair assumption juding from the condition of her vehicle from all the years I have known, loved and been married to her, is that the passenger seat was so filled with junk that there was no possible room for me to sit. I was however a determined man, and so I surrendered all comfort and dignity to finish execution of plan "Get Alone With The New Girl"

From the backseat of her car I sat talking to her, she was seated comfortably in the drivers seat, and minutes passed like drops of rain and I could tell the mood was certainly leaning my way. I could win this girl as mine on this first night. I had laid out all the charm, and in each passing moment she was eating it up more and more. As we sat and talked I could tell the only thing left to this evening was to have our first kiss. I was pacing myself carefully to ensure the magical moment was perfect. Then when I found the moment, when the time came to make my move for the first kiss a new question crossed my mind, "Is this really what you want to do tonight?"

I knew the answer was no. I knew the answer to my earlier question of whether I was even ready to be in a healthy relationship had ben answered. I had been on the verge of another in a string unhealthy destructive patterns, and I had chosen to walk, to wait, and to leave the wonder as merely wondering.

I said my good nights, got out of her car, and let this lovely new girl go on home. In my heart I knew it had been not a just a good, but a better first night.

RPS - 25

ROck Paper Scissors is For Babies... For A Real Challenge PlayRPS - 25

8 Years - I Might Be Glowing

Today marks the 8th anniversary of the day I married my wife. God has blessed me with a woman who is truly my best friend. Allow me to tell our story. Some of you may not believe it, the way I tell it, but it is the truth.

It was the end of October 1997 and I was working as the youth minister at the West Chicago Church of Christ. I was 22 and single, the only person my age was the minister's son. Although I love Jon, he was not a great dating prospect, and he had a circle of friends that I did not really fit with so although we watched 90210 together faithfully, we were by no means going to end up as best buddies.

Needing friendship and companionship in peers, I went to the Axis service at Willow Creek and then joined a medium sized group to meet some friends. I found myself in a circle of friends very quickly inside this medium sized group. We were all the "long haired hippy freaks." Our group became very close knit very quickly. I had made a great group of friends, and my emotional needs were being met.

A Side Note: I did not actually have long hair at this time. I was unshaven wore a backwards ball cap and a long trench coat that looked like it belonged on Sherlock Holmes. It was definitely a "hippy" look, one just needs to remember we hippies were in the "grunge" phase of wardrobe and music.

At this point in my life, I had not dated in over a year. I was healing emotionally from the person I was. I was a horrid person to be in a relationship, and I knew I had to get myself emotionally healthy before I could be in an emotionally healthy dating relationship.

Side Note Two: Jeni, my best friends wife, asked me the first time I played Jewel's "Foolish Games" (no one knew who Jewel was at the time) if the singer was an ex-girlfriend.

So here I was still working on getting my emotional house in order, and having a great time in this new circle of friends when in to my life walks this new young lady...

Another Side Note: My wife is STUNNING beautiful. I am oft filled with pride at the attention she gets when we go out. When she enters a room EVERY GUY'S eyes are drawn to her and so you may believe that what happend next is not accurate, but I assure you it was supernatural event unlike any other I have ever experienced.

When this young lady entered that room, that night, at Willow Creek my eyes were immediately drawn to her, she was AMAZING. Then something more happend. I heard a voice. The voice was pastoral and loving, it did not boom, it did not whisper, the voice just spoke, "Kevin, Behold Your Wife!" I questioned the message, but I did not doubt the reality of having heard it. It was an event unique in my life. A voice which I believe was God Almighty speaking audibly to me, I was Awestruck.

The room was filled with circles of people. There were probably 8 to 9 groups in the room, and all had chairs available. She looked around and immediately walked over and joined our group...

I'll stop there, more of the story next year...

I could not imagine being happier in my life. God knew what he was doing!!! We will be having our third child, our first son, any day now. There is a completeness to my life that she brings so perfectly.

Lord Byron's "She Walks In Beauty" has been a favorite poem of mine since my freshman year of highschool when I first read it. It rings so true that I will quote here:

Ongoing Evidence I Am A Libertarian

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 60% Conservative, 40% Liberal

Social Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

MySpace Out of Schools?

Congress' lack of understanding in all things internet related has once again reared it's ugly head with yet another Stupid Act
called the DOPA (Deleting Online Predators Act).

The only thing great about this bill is it's name: since it will serve to only complicate life for IT staff at school's and libraries, while doing NOTHING at all for actually dealing with the problem of online predators.

My Daughter's Birthday

Today is my oldest daughter's birthday. It was 5 years ago today that God blessed my wife and I with the gift of parenthood. Andrew Petersen has a line in his song "Family Man" that says, "This is not where I was headed for when I began..." Only a parent can understand how true that is.

If you had asked me five years ago I would have been sure that today I would touring the country performing in children's ministries as Dr. Kaos and speaking at Youth Rallies. However, I did not know the plans God had for me. His plans were to prosper me, not with fame and attention, but with love, discipline and responsibility. His plans were for me to spend my weekends not with a campground full of teens, but instead raising and loving these two (my other is 2 and our third is coming any day now) children he has blessed my life with.

As the song says, "this is so much better than!!!"

Environmental Valuation & Cost-Benefit News - Is recycling utter rubbish? By Richard Tomkins

Hippyshopper links to an article in Brittan's Financial Times that questions the enviromental impact of consumer recycling initatives. The article is well worth the read.

Where Are Your Kids Surfing???

Lifehacker had a post about workFRIENDLY a site currently in Beta that uses a proxy to subvert web filters and also disguises the site being read as an Ms-Office window rather than as a web browser.

This kind of site is a reminder of the diligence we must have in our kids internet viewing habits. It is not as challenging as some other means of deception that are out there like Ghostzilla, since it does not post pictures... However the ability to read Erotica and quickly switch to a report on time management would be quite simple.

On a Side Note, Sid this might be a good way for you to read my blog and get the comments!