Wendell, NC, USA - [Two weeks ago,] we saw the death and burial of a pope. What might have been a wonderful opportunity was squandered in another display of ancient pagan ritual. Only at the occasion of a funeral do moderns perform so predictably stupid. I have long admired the death and burial practice of Muslims, where they take the body, wash it and wrap it in a shroud, form a procession, dig a hole and bury it -- if at all possible on the day of the death. [The events of the papal ceremony] brought back two memories I want to share with you.

HANK - The first was the death and burial of Henry Reimann. "Hank" was a teacher at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis ("the Rev. Dr. Henry Reimann," of course.) He was a wonderfully talented man who was himself not a genius but could enlist a class into going on intellectual ventures with him: he was a born teacher. After a few classes in the second quarter of my second year, Hank had a terrible cerebral aneurism.

He lay in the hospital, passing from fully awake and rational to coma, then back again. His wife, Margaret, knew that at one point -- probably soon -- he would go from fully conscious and rational to the coma, then slip away into death. This process had been going on for a few days, as Hank and Margaret tried to make the most of the moments when he was his old self. They carefully planned what to do when Hank died. And, of course, soon enough, he did die.

There was a brief graveside service for Margaret, the children and a few relatives of Hank as soon as possible after he died. Some weeks later, there was a memorial service, a "y'all come" sort of service, where the high mucky-mucks of the church and seminary could get up and say a few words, also friends of Hank, even a few students. Then we all gathered around informally to express our thankfulness for having been touched in a special way by this special man -- spoken and articulated many, many times -- especially to Margaret and the children. ... READ MORE

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AAMENA JIWAJI HAS SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT GAMES CHILDREN & ADULTS PLAY:

Nairobi, KENYA - I returned from work early yesterday and found the neighbourhood kids playing a game of Hide and Seek. The seeker finished counting just as I entered the gate, and I saw her pounce on the two hiders, not very far away, hiding behind some plant pots around the corner.

No strategy [was used] at all -- both hiders were right behind each other.

The seeker was fast: she ran to the "Home" and shouted gleefully "Tip Tip", meaning that she had caught them both out.

How many, when playing a game of Hide and Seek, have deliberately chosen a position where they know they will be caught? It seems there is more fun in being easy to catch and in helping the seeker find the rest, than in finding the perfect hiding place and evading capture.

How many people have played a game of Hide and Seek where the seeker, mid-game, is called into the house by his mother? As hiders, you continue to wait for the imminent pounce as it gets darker, and your legs get cramped. Finally, you emerge, rather bemused but determined to appear casual, as if you were in the know the whole time.

That is how the game is played. And long after we have grown out of our childhood apparel, we continue to play the game in a world of uncertainties. But in the adult version of Hide and Seek, who hides? Does hiding imply that there will be a seeker? And how do we decide whether we are to be the hiders or the seekers?

Predetermined? Perhaps ... READ MORE


BRAD BALFOUR TALKS WITH ICE CUBE:

NEW YORK, NY, USA - Who would have thought that when Ice Cube appeared as a member of the original Los Angeles gangster rappers NWA that he would end up doing such a goofy and utterly cute yet pathetic comedy as "Are We There Yet?" Yet as the hardcore star went from music to film, he's proven to be versatile and [have] broad-ranging skills. He's a grown-up now, and a survivor, not just another disgruntled ghetto youth.

G21: When you made it big, you showed that people can come from something as extreme as the gangster roots, and then grow, and that there's a positive afterlife. Do you feel that's something you've accomplished?

Ice Cube: What I wanted to show is that everybody who comes from the gangster life -- they want what that man in the suburbs wants. Nice family. Nice house. Nice cars. Bills paid. Kids in school. Food on the table. Nothing more.

Nobody's trying to be Scarface out here. Everybody just wants to be comfortable. People always wonder, "You came from all this hard stuff, but now you ain't pumpin' that as much -- that hardcore image." Because now my family's comfortable. I have things that I haven't had. Now I'm speaking for the people who can't speak for themselves.

From my point of view, yeah, I'm not "in the 'hood" no more, doing all that stuff, but I've got people there. I got family there. Most of my roots are there. I can't separate myself from that. But as far as the gangster in the 'hood, the dude that's in the penitentiary, the dope dealer goes? All they want is to be comfortable. Nice house. Family. No more, no less.

That's really what this shows. If you give anybody the chance, they can always make a decent human being out of themselves. It's the people that don't have a chance, that we look down at like they're monsters or they're animals or that they want something different than the rest of us. That they don't want to be like us. That's not true. They want to be just like everybody else. ... READ MORE