Community

Already a member?
Login
Login using Facebook:
Last visitors
Powered by Sociable!

join me on facebook!

terms of use

Creative Commons License
Life as Edward Jensen and The News from Downtown Phoenix by Edward Jensen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
20th February 2010

Shields and Brooks on Civility in Congress, partisan politics, and everything else

For what it’s worth…this was on the PBS NewsHour’s 19 February 2010 broadcast.

-Edward Jensen

  • Share/Bookmark
17th February 2010

Friday 12.15pm Organ Series at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral

[source: Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Center for the Arts] The season of Lent is a particularly important time in the life of the church.  Lent gives each of us pause in our yearly pause in our yearly cycle for a period of reflection and meditation within the Christian community.  The arts, and music in particular, have frequently been used to enable and enhance these two disciplines.  This season, Trinity Cathedral in Downtown Phoenix offers a special Lenten series of musical events to mark this important season of the church year.

Concerts:

  • Friday 26 February, 12.15pm: William Barnett  (past interim organist, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Phoenix)
  • Friday 5 March 12.15pm: James Gerber (director of music and worship at St Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Phoenix)
  • Friday 12 March 12.15pm: Ilona Kubizczyk-Adler (music director, Episcopal Church of the Nativity, Scottsdale)
  • Friday 19 March 12.15pm: Skye Hart (director of music and liturgy, St Maria Goretti Church, Scottsdale)
  • Friday 26 March 12.15pm: Erik Goldstrom (Canon Musician, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Phoenix)
  • Sunday 14 March 4.00pm: Choral Evensong for Mothering Sunday

Trinity Cathedral is at 100 W. Roosevelt St., in Downtown Phoenix.  It is readily accessible from the Roosevelt/Central Ave light rail station and the Downtown Phoenix DASH.  All these concerts are free of charge.  For more information, visit azcathedral.org or call 602.254.7126.

  • Share/Bookmark
20th January 2010

Bring on the flood!

From the Downtown Phoenix Partnership:

The National Weather Service is predicting a large storm to descend into the valley tomorrow, 1-21-10, bringing up to 5″ of rain, possible thunderstorms and gusty winds. The prediction calls for light rain to begin to fall after 11pm tonight and pick up around 11am tomorrow. The Downtown Phoenix Partnership is working closely with police and city staff, and will provide current information throughout the day based on the severity of the storm.

Please be aware of unscheduled road closures put in place due to flooding, debris in the roadway, and traffic signals that may be out due to a power outage.

Contact the Downtown Phoenix Ambassadors at 602-495-1500 to report power outages or debris – we will contact the correct department at the City. Also – call if you have questions about travel conditions in the downtown area – they are your Go-To-Resource!! Remember – the Ambassadors provide Umbrella Escorts – so if you need to go out during the day…they are equipped with large umbrellas and can escort you to your destination.

Stay Dry!

Terry

More forecast info: http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=85003

Stay safe and stay dry!

-Edward Jensen

  • Share/Bookmark
12th January 2010

Latest developments on the Haiti earthquake

Earlier today (12 January 2010), a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck 10 miles outside Port-au-Prince in Haiti. This has been followed by several aftershocks. Most everyone’s thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti at the moment.

To recap: At 2.53pm Phoenix time, the primary 7.0 earthquake struck. The media has reported that a hospital and the UN building have collapsed with many of their occupants still unaccounted.

Some things you might need to know:

  • The US State Department toll free number for family members who are looking for info about the safety of either Americans or Haitians in Port au Prince: (888) 407-4747
  • CNN has compiled a list of earthquake-related tweets: http://twitter.com/CNN/haiti
  • The American Red Cross has already released $200,000 in aid to Haiti
  • Up-to-the-minute pictures from this dynamic situation: http://picfog.com/search/Haiti

For up-to-the-minute news and developments, here are a couple links:

Here’s an easy way to help out: text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross’s relief efforts there [source].

It’s certainly a dynamic situation. Stay informed.

-Edward Jensen

credits: “Earthquake strikes Haiti” by Nicholas Knisely, tweets from @wnknisely, @RedCross, and others

  • Share/Bookmark
11th January 2010

Thoughts on Crossroads and “the least of these”

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. [the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, emphasis added]

Thus begin the Amendments to the United States Constitution. As anyone who’s taken a civics course knows, the US Constitution is the “supreme law of the land” (cf. Article VI par. 2; also see the 14th Amendment).

Consider also the late developments happening with Crossroads United Methodist Church. As preface, they had a homeless ministry at their church, Central Avenue and Northern in the quasi-upscale North Central neighborhood. Then the neighborhood didn’t like seeing homeless people in their posh neighborhood, complained, got the city involved, and the city made a decision that Crossroads had to stop this ministry. After an appeal made by Crossroads, the city still stood by its decision.

Depending on your angle, it’s NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) at its finest or its worst.

Granted, when one thinks of the neighborhood around Central and Northern, one doesn’t really think about homeless ministries. Most of the homeless reside in and near Downtown Phoenix. I would think that if Crossroads wanted to do this in a more effective (whatever this means) fashion, then doing outreach and meal service would be more effective there. There’s a fantastic human services campus at 12th Ave and Jefferson–maybe a partnership there should be in the works.

But that’s irrelevant to my argument. I am, however, reminded of something from Scripture:

“I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” [excerpted from "The Judgment of the Nations," Matthew 25:31-46 NRSV]

As The Rev. John Petty (All Saints’ Lutheran Church, Aurora, Colorado) noted in his blog Progressive Involvement,

In liberation theology circles, this is called the “preferential option for the poor,” which is supposed to be controversial, but, for the life of me, I can’t figure out why. All four gospels state very clearly, one way or another, that Christ is a friend of the poor, identifies with them, is found with them. It’s not for nothing that Jesus was born to a poverty-stricken Jewish family from a hick little town. [source]

Jesus was a friend of the poor. Christians – followers of Christ – should be friends of the poor as well.

This brings me back to the original crux of this entry, taken from the First Amendment: Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion.

Let’s make a few assumptions here. First, that the Gospel of St Matthew is accepted canon in Christianity. Second, Christianity is accepted as a religion. In essence, the city is redefining Christianity. Christianity by city policy.

If a church wants to reach out to “the least of these” in a homeless ministries program, then it has its Constitutional rights to do so. NIMBY-ists can complain until they’re blue in the face, but it should be a Constitutional right. Wait: it is.

Lord, have mercy!

-Edward Jensen

continue reading Thoughts on Crossroads and “the least of these”

  • Share/Bookmark
9th January 2010

Sandra Day O’Connor on Horizon

Last week, retired US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor stopped by KAET’s public affairs program Horizon to talk about what she’s been doing since she retired from the high court, civility in government, and her O’Connor House Project.

Justice O’Connor’s confirmation created the Horizon program back in 1981 and it’s apropos that she was the first guest in Horizon’s new set in the Cronkite School building on the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus.


if you can’t see the video, click here

-Edward Jensen

  • Share/Bookmark
8th January 2010

Our weird county…

Reporter JJ Hensley from the Arizona Republic sat down with Ted Simons on a recent edition of KAET’s Horizon to discuss what’s going on in Maricopa County.

With apologies to Stanley Kramer, it’s a mad, mad, mad, mad, county…

-Edward Jensen

  • Share/Bookmark
30th December 2009

Farewell 2009, you were an interesting year…

Well, we’re at that point of the year wherein everyone is taking a look back at the year that will be ending tomorrow.

To commemorate the year, here’s a look back at the major themes of posts I’ve written.  Links will open in a new window.

January (see all posts)
Happy New Year 2009! The new Valley METRO light rail system began revenue operations after five free-ride days and ASU Downtown Phoenix campus students were figuring out how to leverage the system in their transportation arsenal.  There were two “miracles“: the Miracle on the Hudson and the Miracle at University of Phoenix Stadium sending the Cardinals to their first Super Bowl.  Obama was sworn into office (twice!) to become this nation’s first African-American president.  The Spring 2009 semester started sending me to the sea of humanity that is the ASU Tempe campus (meh…).

February (see all posts)
There was the Barrett Honors College Light Rail Party on the 6th, and I’d like to think it was the first major non-METRO-sponsored event to occur on the then five-week-old system.  Our patience was rewarded as Janet Echelman revealed the name of the public art piece suspended above the then soon-to-open Civic Space Park: “Her Secret is Patience.”  And we learned that installation of Ms. Echelman’s work would begin on 9th March, though it didn’t quite take the first time.  I moved this blog from Blogger to Wordpress and haven’t looked back.  Constructive arguments win, and this post demonstrated how. Then, upon learning that Glendale wanted to route its share of the light rail mainly through Phoenix (viz. I-10 and the Loop 101) to Westgate, I proposed using Grand Avenue as an alternative.

March (see all posts)
I went on a writing terror in March, penning 43 posts.  I evaluated a thoughtful sustainability curriculum in response to two sustainability classes I was taking at the time, and then evaluated (the lack of) academic integrity demonstrated by a student. Her Secret is Patience, the artwork at the Civic Space was set to be installed during the spring recess, then was delayed because of fabrication errors, then installed, then taken down.  The great Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach was fêted in JS Bach Week with six unique pieces leading up to the 324th anniversary of his birth.  Keeping with the music theme, I shamelessly promoted Cantemus’s performances of The Salzburg Mozart, with me playing tympani in the orchestra.

April (see all posts)
Janet Echelman’s Her Secret is Patience was finally corrected and reinstalled on a rainy Saturday morning.  And the Civic Space Park opened on the 16th!  SNL’s parody of Barack Obama found that ASU was better than the University of Arizona.  I thought (and still think) that the DASH Downtown Loop was made redundant by the light rail and proposed a free-ride zone that should save the City some money.  The Phoenix Symphony performed Carmina Burana on the 23rd and I reviewed it.

May (see all posts)
Final examinations and writer’s block were not my friends in May.  The Class of 2009 graduated and President Obama spoke.  The posts were of a light-hearted nature to make people not think of exams.

June (see all posts)
With ASU’s semester finished, Valley METRO light rail started running silly-looking one-car trains on the line, even during rush hours, causing the line’s many fans to wonder what was going on.  ASU Parking & Transit announced that the free U-Pass program would be going away leaving students to pay $40 each semester.  A new series on ASU Downtown Phoenix campus adventures was born…and quickly died. But in good news: Segways are allowed on the light rail!

July (see all posts)
The world was still lamenting the death of Michael Jackson and at Trinity Church on Wall Street, the most appropriate tribute was performed.  Answers were attempted at questions concerning the ASU on Facebook application, but even to this day, nobody really knows what’s going on with it. Walter Cronkite died.  Pi Approximation Day was celebrated on the 22nd with an approximation of success.

August (see all posts)
Most of the month was spent answering the question, “Is Phoenix a place that is suitable to raise – and sustain – a family?” in the Policy, Family, Future four-part series.
The Camerata Singers performed and made my summer one of the best I’ve had.  ASU relaunched its Facebook application.  The College of Public Programs reevaluated why it’s using social media.  Twitter robots failed Turing tests.  Edward Kennedy passed away.

September (see all posts)
ASU’s Online Applications service was evaluated and given a thumbs-up, and the University’s student-run newspaper gave a cursory look to online learning.   Google Docs was demystified.  A new “Did You Know” video surfaced causing heads to turn (again).  The Phoenix Symphony performed Beethoven’s monumental Ninth Symphony meriting a review from me and also the Maestro himself, Michael Christie, chimed in (see the comments).  And the Symphony’s College Club Card lets students see the Symphony for cheap.  We said farewell to the Mountain Bell Building, imploded on the 27th.  We also said farewell to reasons why Downtown Phoenix isn’t scary.

October (see all posts)
Phoenix-area policymakers forecast growth for the area calling for 400 miles of new freeways to be built, making me wonder if Phoenix still doesn’t get it.   I wanted METRO light rail tchotchkes but nobody was selling them.  Phoenix selected David Cavazos as its new city manager, replacing the retiring Frank Fairbanks.  ASU’s Elinor Ostrom became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics.  Finally, and sadly, the composer Paul Manz died, leaving a void in contemporary sacred music.

November (see all posts)
With Frank Fairbanks and all his amassed experience gone, from where will the next generation of public servants come?  The New York Yankees won the World Series and Carl Kasell (of NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!) had a great quip worth posting.  Mayor Phil Gordon gave his State of Downtown Phoenix address and it went over like a lead balloon.  This set off a debate on how to fix Downtown Phoenix.  And the Muppets gave the world the best rendition of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.

December (see all posts)
The Fall 2009 semester ended.  Same-sex marriage was again a hot topic, this time in New York.  METRO light rail celebrated its first birthday, even though the celebrations were a week early.  Mike Rowe celebrated the spirit of dirty jobs.  And then it was Christmas.

So…from here, where do we go?  That’s for tomorrow.

-Edward Jensen

  • Share/Bookmark
24th December 2009

Christmastide 2009 greetings: Hodie Christus natus est!

Merry Christmas to all!

“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” [Isaiah 9:6 NRSV]

O come let us adore him!

Today Christ is born: Alleluia.
Today the Savior comes: Alleluia.
Today the angels sing on earth: Alleluia. Glory to God in the highest.

Merry Christmas!

-Edward Jensen

  • Share/Bookmark
22nd December 2009

Mike Rowe celebrates dirty jobs

Mike Rowe talks about his experiences on the Discovery Channel’s series Dirty Jobs and how his experiences have challenge his thoughts on work.  His language and descriptions are a bit colorful but his observations are absolutely amazing.

The video is about 20 minutes long.


if you can’t see the video, click here

What were those two Greek words that Mr. Rowe kept using through his speech? They’re perepiteia and anagnorisis.

-Edward Jensen

  • Share/Bookmark