Today I Twittered this:

I don’t watch the news because people are paid to report it.

And my friend Collin asked me this:

Just out of curiosity where do you get your news?

I was going to quickly answer him, but, as the three of you that are actually reading this may already know, I’m not like that. Ask me what time it is, and I’ll tell you how to build a clock.

Collin, here is the answer to your question my friend:

OK- so this is going to sound weird outside of context. Twitter.

Here’s the context, with Haiti as an example: At first I was catching the usual tickers (see ads) about what was going on there, but then I stopped. Partly because there was SO much information, and partly because one can only take so much doom & gloom.

I came across a guy that is an American living in Haiti that has been Tweeting about what he’s seeing, plus sending pics, plus shooting video of the events as they happen. He tweeted this recently:

“Dont blieve hype. Things R relatvely stable hre. ive bn in thick of it. But I dont have spnsrs 2 please, do I? #haiti”

I’ve been in this camp for some time now (not watching the news). Check out any of my posts on here when the first “stimulus package” was being pushed through and you’ll see that media=hype. 99% of the time.

That’s the long answer Collin. Essentially: I go with non-traditional news sources. Twitter. Facebook. Blogs. Why? Because they have nothing to really gain by being something other than real.

And yes- I have close friends in the news business, KTVB (NBC) and KTRV (FOX), but I’m not speaking about them “getting paid to report the news”. I’m speaking about huge conglomerates that only care about ad space. And in a market where traditional advertising is DOWN a combined 59% last year- you better believe that those big wigs will do everything they can to protect their cottages (see mansions) in The Hamptons.

What about you? Where do you get your news from?
~NickShoe

Taylor Swift. The mere mention of her name either gets an adoring comment or a look similar to that of someone that recently discovered the milk has gone sour.

But I’m not going to talk about Taylor Swift. I’m here to talk about talent- Miss Swift just happens to be my example for the discussion.

The question I’d propose regarding talent isn’t whether it exists, but where it lies. Everyone has talent. There’s something that each one of us can do better that 95% of the nearly 7billion people around us.
In this case- Taylor Swift- I find that her talent lies in stage presence. She can be on stage- singing/playing well or not- and not be jostled by anything. Take the Kanye incident for example: the girl maintained composure in spite of the situation.

Where does your talent lie?
~NickShoe

Yes.

Then why this new one?

I have my own business now- and I thought it was time to get my own real website- not just a decent blog.

And with that, NickShoe.org begins.

~NickShoe

There were some great responses and even a great convo! Check it out if you’d like.

And it makes me wonder.
I’ve been a Jesus follower since I can remember. He is my forgiver and leader. But I don’t think I’ve ever really confronted the Jesus Problem. That is to say, I’m beginning to reconcile the Jesus of the Bible and the Jesus of pop-Christian-culture.
At time I’ve taken parts of this often very public insurgence and settled it in my own mind. For example: Jesus wasn’t six-foot tall with blue eyes and long, flowing blond hair. More than likely, he was about five-four with dark brown eyes and a ruddy complexion from years of manual labor as a carpenter.
There- that’s settle. The Jesus of the Bible looks way different than the Jesus of Medieval art.

Now that’s all good and proper. But what about the other stuff? ALL the other stuff.
Check out this article by Shane Claiborne. Than come back.

Hmm.
So- what do we do with The Jesus Problem?

~NickShoe

So- after reading that, still think The Oprah Show is worth your time?
I hope you think not.

~NickShoe

So, I posed this question on Twitter and Facebook:

“Which would you prefer: ESPN-U blackout or @KTVB broadcasting the game?”

(To catch you up if you don’t know what I’m talking about: ESPN-U was broadcasting BSU’s game against their state rival, University of Idaho, when a few minutes into the 1st quarter the screen went black. Turns out a breaker had blown, effectively terminating ESPN’s ability to broadcast for the better part of the 1st quarter. Power was restored and the viewing of the UofI Vandals being trounced continued.)

My vote: I’ll take ESPN’s blackout versus KTVB broadcasting the game. EVERY TIME.

If you’ve watched the local coverage and an ESPN covered game, I invite you to weigh in on which is preferred.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the ESPN pick-up of the game came late and a lot of people, as many as half, in the greater Boise area don’t have ESPN-U. I’m one of them, so I went somewhere that did to watch the game today.

So, KTVB, this is yours to lose. Step it up. You’re the best. Now be it.

~NickShoe

What do you secretly wish for?

~NickShoe

Let me hear it…

~NjS

Denny’s gave a free Grand Slam breakfast to all comers from 6am-2pm. It was slammin!

Did you get a free breakfast today?