Chasing the Dragon's Tale

There was a good turnout of Belmont students for the training session lead by Christy Ridings, University Ministries. The images of the destruction on Union's campus made for a quiet room. Volunteers on this trip will be doing manual labor. The team departed early this morning for Jackson and should return to campus around 8:00PM tonight.

There have been other responses by Belmont (and many others) and I suspect that there will be other opportunities for service, giving, and ministry.

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Not to complain, but it is quite cold here in Nashville and on the campus of Belmont University. Most students and faculty are still in Christmas hibernation mode.... and the few staff members rattling around campus seem to be scrambling to get things done before next week's surge of students hit the classrooms again. We've done exports, updated reports, re-published web sites, prepared catalog PDF's, and a host of minutae that is tougher to do when the campus is buzzing.

This was the scene around 7:30AM this morning on campus. The sun was just peeking over Wright-Maddox and beginning to illuminate the Beaman Student Life Center. The fountain speaks for itself.

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Heartvalve Too 1/365 Originally uploaded by Paul Chenoweth Posting from Flickr for the first time using the post to blog feature.

Time off without hours reading and doing research have been (temporarily) replaced with some fun activity...in this case a heavy dose of movie watching combined with a bit of clay construction. I still have my hopes up for snagging a personal copy of Barry Hall's From Mud to Music..the original inspiration for my clay flute obsession.

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Finally. A few days off to celebrate Christmas with family and friends. It is just nice to be home, even if I am still sitting in front of a computer screen from time-to-time. Just in case I forget. My warmest Christmas wishes go to each of you!

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We are witnessing a family's frustrations with the Nicaraguan judicial system. After spending several weeks in a prison hospital and having his conviction overturned (after 9 months of delay), one would think that Eric Volz would be well on his way to freedom. MSNBC has confirmed that Eric has been removed from the hospital and returned to prison...and unless something happens in the next day or so, the earliest possible review by a Nicaraguan court would not happen until mid-January. What a nightmare!

This morning, I received an email response from Congressman Jim Cooper's office. Nothing earth shattering, but he and his staff are aware that a fellow Tennessean (and family) are seriously affected by this turn of events. He writes,

"My staff and I have kept in close touch with Eric's family, the State Department and others about this case, and I have repeatedly encouraged the department to do everything in its power to bring Eric home safely. We will continue our efforts to reunite Eric with his family in Tennessee. I assure you that the highest officials in our government are working hard on his behalf. "

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Obviously, I have been tracking the news on the case of Eric Volz. It has been on my heart and mind all day. Today's press briefing by Deputy Spokesman, Tom Casey, mentions the 2-3 day delay as nothing out of the ordinary in the Nicaraguan Judicial System...and labels the case "No Immediate Concern". I am glad to read that the US State Department is at least well versed on the situation. When asked if he was following the situation, Mr Casey responded,

"We are continuing to be in contact with the Nicaraguan authorities on this and urging them to implement the court's decision without delay. And certainly we hold them responsible for ensuring his safety in the interim period. I understand that the way the Nicaraguan judicial system works, it sometimes does take two or three days for court decisions to be implemented. But again, our message to the Nicaraguan Government is we want to see this decision implemented as quickly as possible, we want to see him be able to depart the country and return to his family and are continuing to make sure that we're also provided, as we have been during his incarceration with consular access and that he has also the ability to see his attorney and other rights that should be granted to him."

I'll go on record as having cause for concern. Angry people in the streets wielding machete's and shouting things like 'death to the gringo'...doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling at all. Maybe it is just me.

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There is video from the Today Show featuring Maggie Anthony here. No news of Eric's release, yet.

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CNN reports this morning that Eric Volz " was transferred Monday from a Managua jail to a police hospital". I hope that means that he is in a better environment and is receiving better care. More than that, I pray that he is out of that hospital and is on his way back to the US. If the reports that Nicaraguan radio stations are suggesting that people take the law into their own hands are true, I would prefer that none of us know where Eric is until he is here, safe with family and friends. Godspeed, Eric!

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USA Today just published a news story on the release of Eric Volz by order of a Nicaraguan appeals court. There are few details. I am hoping the story is true and that Eric is making his way safely to US soil.

HT: Nashville is Talking

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We do our share of talking about family here at Belmont (and rightly so)...this time, I speak literally of the Belmont family pictured here. From left-to-right Kacy (daughter), Chris (son-in-law), me, Matt (son), and Deb (wife). Of the five, one has pretty well made a lifetime career working in various departments across campus (that would be Deb). The other four people in the picture hold degrees from Belmont University.

I'd like to say something deeply philosophical about the journey and commencement and the road ahead. For now, I just need to look at this picture and be thankful for my Belmont family...noting that many of my Belmont family aren't pictured here. Thanks Belmont, you mean a lot to us (all).

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Life as a mid-sized (the school, not me), university web developer often means wearing multiple hats: code-writer, advocate, entrepreneur, researcher, student, politician, video-editor, trainer, artist, historian, writer, repairman, educator, and baby-sitter. There are soap opera level dramatics that are dying to be told beneath any one of those hats. For the most part, the stories are humorous even if the humor offers a glimpse of digital immigrants struggling amidst a much younger, student population of digital natives. These stories along with the boring details of what goes on in the web developer's office will be the 2008 emphasis for Chasing the Dragon's Tale. The names in the stories will have to be changed to protect the innocent...not to mention protecting my employment status.

Note regarding the image in my header: The sleeping pooch is Madison, grand-puppy and token blog dog.

Posted by Paul Chenoweth at 09:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This via last week's update from friendsofericvolz.com:

Today, Friday, November 23, marks the beginning of a 2nd year of the injustice of Eric’s illegal conviction; the injustice of Eric's illegal imprisonment, the injustice of the Appellate Court in their nearly 9 month delay in ruling past what the law declares, and the injustice that all those truly responsible for Doris' murder enjoy a justice department that is simply not interested is pursuing the investigation that would lead to truth.

Eric is a “political prisoner.” He is suffering nothing short of psychological torture in the current confinement situation through sensory deprivation; he has not been allowed out to see the sun in over 35 days, he is not allowed to open or look out the small window in his room; and, extreme limitations on human contact.

Read the rest here.

Posted by Paul Chenoweth at 08:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It seems like I have committed a lot of time to blog support and training for a bunch of people in recent months. Chasing the Dragon's Tale has suffered a posting drought as a result. I am taking a minute or two for myself this morning...the blogs will survive nicely without my help for a bit.

A late evening email from Amy Elrod, a nursing student and missions staff person serving in Rio, shocked my whining conscience back to reality. Amy was one of several staff people who hosted Belmont Mission teams in past years. I have witnessed a wonderful spirit of humble servitude as she ministers in many ways to the poor in Brazil and to the mission teams that come her way. This picture is one of several that she included in her email. I have never been to this particular spot, but sitting comfortably at my desk here in Nashville, my memory has no problem delivering the surrounding sights, sounds, and smells of this place. There are no people in this picture, but they are close by. There is little hope to be seen in this image, but I know there are people like Amy who are there with a message that gives hope and care to many.

Amy reports about this year,

"551 volunteers came to Rio, 24,522 patients came through the clinic, 36,895 prescriptions were given out and 5,559 people prayed to receive Christ and filled out decision cards to be followed up by the churches! Praise God for a great year and for all that He has done!"

I am thinking of Amy and those who minister in Rio today. If I am a little quieter, it is because I am somehow standing beside the stream in this picture consumed with wonder, questions, and hope. Blessings upon all those whose lives have been changed during this season...those who served, those who were served, and all those who remember.

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I have been an AT&T and/or Bell South and/or South Central Bell customer (with the same phone number) for 33+ years. In all of those years, the contacts from the company generally encouraged me to add-on a new service or to combine my services into some neat package that inevitably costs me more money in the long run. Well, today is different *ahem*.

This morning's email included an estore_bellsouth.com address and the subject, "Our way of saying thanks for being a valued customer." I am intrigued, so I open the email. The opening sentence:

"As a token of our appreciation for being our valued AT&T online customer, we would like to offer you this exciting opportunity to take a free personality quiz, a $24.95 value."

To say the least, I was not impressed with this generous offer to "find out what kind of thinker am I?". So for future reference, I offer the following list of items that I would prefer NOT to receive as a way of saying thanks for being a valued customer:

10. A corporate birthday card...all that tells me is that you have too much information about me and cannot handle the pressure not to do something stupid with it.
9. Mail or contacts that offer to switch me to AT&T.( See opening sentence from 33+ year customer).
8. Basically any small, semi-useless item that was mass-produced and distributed by a marketing merchandise firm (and produced in China, India, or Mexico).
7. A low fee credit card with an outstanding low start-up rate that converts to the rate of inflation in Brazil... I do my banking at the bank, and I would equally prefer that the bank not attempt to sell me phone service.
6. Any sort of telephone call between the hours of 5:00PM and 7:00PM that begins with a long pause and concludes with a heavily accented voice who can do no better than butcher my last name with his/her greeting. I won't talk with my mouth full if you won't call during the evening mealtime, deal?
5. Any sort of merchandise offer, especially small, enticing, electronic gadgets that are touted to be "free" but include (in the fine print) something like a $9.95 shipping and handling charge. My definition of "free" means no cost to the customer.
4. Any mail that appears to be an invoice but actually turns out to be mail from an AT&T partner selling insurance, retirement plans, replacement windows, etc. Trust me. I know how to shop for these kinds of things...and it generally does NOT include contacting the phone company.
3. Free newsletter of the month whether by email or snail mail. Helpful hints on how to use my phone are wasted on me. I dial. Phone rings. Someone (usually) answers. That's all I really need to know, really.
2. Jelly of the month club-type stuff... I might be enticed, however, with an imported coffee-of-the month "free" offer. (See caveat in item 5)
1. Any sort of "free" survey whether it be personal, corporate, marketing or otherwise (unless there is a guarantee of cash payment for the information)...including personality quizzes. I have a personality and I do not feel the need to study it further...at least not via the phone company!

And as a kicker, please do not attempt to con me into believing that your $24.95 "free personality quiz" is any more valuable than the freebies available on any number of online sites. Do your homework and send out a list of all the free personality quizzes...otherwise, thanks, but no thanks.

Posted by Paul Chenoweth at 09:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Just in case you are interested or want a way to see how your blog might be rated:

Conversely, this may be an indicator of how dull my content is to most people...as in Good Grief that's boring! *sigh*

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Yesterday evening's opening of The Lost Boys Center and Gallery on 4th Avenue here in Nashville could have slipped by me. It isn't something that I do nearly as often as I used to. This opening was different. I knew a little about the Lost Boys of Sudan from earlier reading but had quietly tucked it away in a mental file of global tragedies.

In one of the amazing ways that Belmont does Belmont, Lanie Gannon, a university art instructor asked Matt Chenoweth (my son) and Brittany Doyle if they could go to the new studio space and help these men with their clay work. Matt went to the studio, met with Jack Spencer and a number of the Lost Boys, and something happened. Other than stopping to eat and get to classes, Matt and Brittany spent most of their waking hours of recent weeks at the studio with the Lost Boys, teaching wheelthrowing, breaking in a brand new kiln, and experimenting with alternative wood firing techniques. According to Matt, it was close. Heavily padded gloves were needed to get some of the last pieces from a slow cooling kiln into their positions in the gallery just an hour or so before the doors opened at 6:00PM.

The opening was well attended. The walls and display spaces were covered in paintings, prints, masks, clay sculpture, and decorative clay containers. Walking through the crowd and seeing the art on the walls with the Lost Boys explaining their work was touching. These young men have little (if any) formal training in art, but their work screams of emotions that most of us will never experience. How these men could express the tragedies of their lives in such awesome ways is amazing.

Today, there are a bunch of exhausted people who need a well-deserved rest from this project. This new gallery was quickly carved out of a former, greazy, parts repair shop and magically converted into gallery, sculpture/clay studio, woodworking shop, and computer lab. Kudos to all those who were a part of this project and to those who continue to support it.

I'm not sure that I could be prouder of Matt's participation in this project or more thankful for the influence that the people at Belmont University have had on his life. And many thanks to Jack Spencer and all the volunteers who worked and donated to make this happen!

(photo by Jack Spencer)

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Yesterday's Active Christian Media article, Eric Volz Needs Our Prayers and Support to Continue, includes the following unconfirmed report:

Yesterday I was informed in an email that Eric’s health is not doing well. He is sick right now possibly with parasites and/or ulcers. Eric still needs our prayers and letters of encouragement. A few days ago the Friends of Eric website was updated and readers are being encouraged to write Eric and continue to let him know you are praying for him.

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At 10PM E.T. (9PM Central) tonight, Anderson Cooper 360 will air an interview with Eric Volz from El Modelo, a Nicaraguan prison. The updates on the appeals process have slowed to a trickle. Perhaps this will help maintain visibility to the story.

Posted by Paul Chenoweth at 01:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

News from Nicaragua regarding the appeals process for Eric Volz has been a little sketchy. The Nicaraguan Newspaper, El Nuevo Diario, reports that the process may not take place for several weeks. From Page Two by Liestoppers,

"According to El Nuevo, a preliminary review to determine whether the case is subject to appeal must be conducted before a hearing must be scheduled. This pending review, and a backlog of cases, appears to be the cause for the delay."

If your Spanish skills are good, the full version is here. A rough translation via Google can be found here. The article identifies elements that are anticipated in Eric's defense and raises a number of questions regarding the validity of exculpatory evidence while seemingly defending the prosecution's position. There are obvious differences in the reporting from Nicaragua and the reporting in the US and clear differences in the legal culture in each country. In the balance is a young man's life whose appeals could be adversely affected by both sides and cultures.

Posted by Paul Chenoweth at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Nashville television station, WKRN, aired a live interview with Maggie Anthony this morning. Maggie is Eric Volz's mom and resides in the Middle-Tennessee area.

During the telephone interview, John Dwyer asked a number of questions regarding the stressful situation in Nicaragua. Maggie spoke of the challenge to be hopeful and reiterated her hope that the evidence, when presented to different judges in a different city, will prove Eric's innocence. Maggie expressed her feelings that this is not necessarily a case of anti-American sentiment across Nicaragua, but was a case where the local judge involved was fearful or intimidated.

When asked about a timetable for the case, Maggie said that the attorneys involved are checking on delays in the appeals' process.

Other bloggers continue to work to see that this case remains visible in the media and with goverment officials.

Posted by Paul Chenoweth at 07:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Dateline NBC will air their story about Eric Volz tonight, April 22nd. The show airs in Nashville at 6:00PM on Channel 4, WSMV here in Nashville. Check your local listings for the time in your area. Keith Morrison's preview of the story, Is Eric Volz in Jail Because of Nicaraguan Anger at America? includes the following:

"In this case, the defendant's apparently impeccable alibi, supported by no fewer than 10 people, is thrown out by the judge, as angry crowds chant for his conviction, and threaten to lynch him. It's a case in which the defendant hires his own armed guards, and still is chased through town by the mob.

Now, his fate is in the hands of a panel of judges set to review the evidence and hear his appeal. They could affirm his 30-year jail sentence, order a new trial, or set him free. "In this country," an observer told us,"this case is like O.J. Simpson." In a matter of days, much of Nicaragua will be watching to see what happens to Eric Volz."

What has not been widely publicized is the Nashville connection to Eric's case. Eric's stepfather lives in Nashville and has been in Nicaragua for several months working on Eric's legal case. He resigned from his position at Belmont so that he could be where he needed to be in order to do the most good. What he has sacrificed in order to see that justice is served is unimaginable...his job, his finances, his time in a foreign country. He deserves our financial and prayerful support.

Today Show Interview from March 29, 2007:

CNN Coverage:
On Monday night, CNN Anderson Cooper 360 is scheduled to air their Eric Volz story.

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Colleges and universities across the country will be reviewing their emergency communication plans in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy...and my cell phone rings: "This is a test of Belmont University's automated alert system, please press '1' to acknowledge..."

Somehow today, pressing "1" just doesn't seem to be enough...but it is good to know someone cares enough to be testing these things out.

Posted by Paul Chenoweth at 09:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

All six of the Nashville mayoral candidates are expected to participate in a forum at Belmont University on Friday, April 13, 2007. Bloggers are welcome...and the venue supports wireless.

This is not a debate and the general focus will be issues that impact the higher education community. I wouldn't expect a lot of fireworks. No questions will come from the floor. Two Belmont University students will do all of the asking. Hopefully everyone will talk fast, the session is only 50 minutes long.

If any of the Nashville is Talking crowd wants to attend, arrive early enough to park in the parking garage up the hill on Bernard (across from Bongo Java) and take the short walk over to Massey Auditorium. Look me up if you plan to blog the event live...I'll give you the secret handshake and password.

Posted by Paul Chenoweth at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When MovableType migrated from a free service to a purchase plan, Belmont University invested in a license with a long range view of how many blogs would be needed and how those blogs would be used. Over the last three years (or so) we have set-up as many as 50 separate blogs and roughly 100 authors. Many experimented with blogging and discovered that the commitment part to contribute on a regular basis was more than they could handle. The corporate-use blogs have been amazingly successful as an easier way of distributing news, announcements, and general campus information. One author, Dr. Jeff Cornwall, created and continues to sustain one of the most widely read and highest ranked blogs in the business world. The mission blogs for Brazil, Ukraine, Honduras, and Venezuela added a new dimension to mssion trips that we hope will become a part of more student trips...we have successfully converted those blogs into archived web sites.

There have been challenges along the way. Comment spam and trackback spam are a nuisance and time-waster for authors and for blog administrators. During one session of deleting extraneous comments last year, some 200 legitimate comments were accidentally deleted...and recovering the lost comments has been an adventure. Modifying templates and mastering browser compatibility issues along with learning the ins-and-outs of RSS has been a stretch at times when schedules have pulled us to other projects.

Since the first of the year, the university's approach to the look, feel, and application of blog use evolved into something more corporate than personal. We have developed new templates that are more compatible with the look of the university's marketing site. Conceptually, the new templates will have the flexibility to reflect the personality and nature of the individual blogs, but all blogs will be part of one, university family of blogs. In essence, we have a blog brand that supports the larger model of branding for the university.

Continue reading "Not Quite Ready to Come Up for Air" »

Posted by Paul Chenoweth at 06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

There is a template re-design in the works here at Chasing the Dragon's Tale as well as a shifting of gears. The new direction of the blog will be to explore the chase for digital media within the university community...it is already here. Students are creating and experimenting with digital media as a normal part of their lives everyday. How students, faculty, staff, and administration are adopting digital media is the story that I would like to tell.

Please stand by...this re-design may get messy. Here is a sneak preview that will eventually look more like the rest of Belmont's web site.

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...I am over here It is just for the weekend. See you next week!

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Start the steel band, intro music to Medicine Man here...what ever in the world possesses an aging web developer and his workaholic wife to traverse and repel some 100+ feet over the jungle floor in Belize? Consider it a genetic disorder or insanity (inherited from the children, of course) but re-discovering "vacation" is something that we have avoided for too long. I can now recommend it.

For a whole week, neither of us were tied to a computer...for the first time, ever, in over seven years. Cell phone were off and locked away in a stateroom safe. Watches were banned for fear of leaving tell-tale signs of un-tanned skin. Fiction books were read...yes, Virginia, they still print things on paper and bind them neatly into volumes. Bleachers, Street Lawyer, The Brethren, and Innocent Man (hmmm, I see a John Grisham pattern here)... all fell subject to the ravenous reading appetite of one who abandoned the technological journals and textbooks for the week.

Relaxation included frequent immersion into a bubbling hot tub, floating in a salt-water pool, long afternoon naps, and snacks at all hours of the day and evening. Even early morning walks on the ship's running track took on a refreshing tone with a stiff sea breeze and watercolor-like sunrise drama greeting the horizon. And yes, there was coffee... just a few cups each day (but available 24 hours as a safety net).

In just a few minutes, the reality of life on a college campus returns and the "vacation" ends. I am very grateful to my employer for providing generous vacation time...and even more appreciative when time away is actually used as a break from work-day activities. I might even try it again, sometime...but without the rappel from the Belize treetops. I have seen the picture of me in mid-rappel, taken from the ground. It screams for the caption, "does this harness make me look fat?"

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At the recent blogger meet-up with Amanda Congdon, Mike Tarrolly (WKRN Promotions Director) gave me a heads-up on new Nashville is Talking spots that would be airing soon. I had pretty much forgotten about the July 2005 meeting at WKRN where Mike asked several of us to stand before a green screen and do mini-sound bites regarding our personal blogs plus parroting a thematic "Nashville is Talking...are you listening" sort of thing. Well, in spite if the heads-up... somehow, I failed to relay that message to my spouse. Last evening, while relaxing in our living room, my shiny forehead appeared on our television and my wife screamed, "Paul, you're blogging on TV!" (or something to that effect). So, my friends, it is true. That IS me (sans facial hair... sans hair on head as well). No autographs, please.

I am off to write something semi-brilliant regarding technology in education... after all, "we're talking about it".

Posted by Paul Chenoweth at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

With just a few posts in April, none in May or June...did Paul catch the dragon's tale? For the two readers who stop by regularly, rumors of my passing are greatly exagerated. I have been blogging, but in other places (physical locations as well as virtual locations)...I even did a stretch over at another (un-named) blog that paid me for my efforts, yes, that is difficult for me to believe, too.

I have mentioned in previous posts that blogging, building an audience, and sustaining traffic requires a level of commitment and effort...a big commitment and a lot of effort. There is such a thing as a vacation, although I am not certain of my personal definition...but there is a pattern floating around the blogoshphere where people actually STOP blogging for a period of time (shocking news to blogging addicts, I am sure). It is OK to stop, really. I am living proof. And I am pretty sure that it is OK to start back up again...we shall see.

Happy 4th of July to you, all!

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In just a few weeks, my wife and I will be headed to Venezuela with a group of Belmont University student athletes to serve side-by-side with International Mission Board missionaries and local church leaders in the region surrounding Maturin. Don't let the title of this post fool you. There is no such thing as 'just another mission trip"...all of them are unique in their own way, and you-betcha there is a new blog launch: The Venezuela Journal. As usual, your comments during these adventures mean a lot to team members...so, stop by, get a short term, free subscription, and add a few words of support during the trip.

Film at 11 (errr, 10CST)

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There are already stories in print and online that place Belmont University and the Tennessee Baptist Convention in a contentious spotlight. I intend to read them all. Out of respect for Dr. Fisher, respect for Belmont's Board of Trustees, and respect for Tennessee Baptist Leadership, I will not add commentary here on Chasing the Dragon's Tail ...or any other blog regarding the current issues. I have strong feelings for all of these people. Some I have loved for just a few years, some have been my chosen family for over 30 years...but I do (and will continue to) love them, warts and all.

"Come now, and let us reason together..."
Isaiah 1:18

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March Madness has been upheld as a copyrighted phrase in federal court and basketball fans around the US understand the reference to conference championships and the NCAA tournaments. What most people do not know is the depth of the madness portion of the NCAA tournament experience by players, coaches, athletic departments, and associated media. For the last week, I received a heavy dose of absolute madness as part of the 91 official, traveling contingent from Belmont University. Don't get me wrong, the experience was incredible...it was, however, more than any of us understood ahead of time and a little overwhelming some of the time.

Here is just a taste of some of the events: