I hadn’t heard these inspiring words from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., until today, but they are already among my favorites of the quotes attributed to him.

If you want to be important — wonderful. If you want to be recognized — wonderful. If you want to be great — wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s a new definition of greatness. And this morning, the thing that I like about it: By giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve … You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.

I like the refreshing take on the “greatest among you shall be least” citation from the Bible. I’ve always taken that to mean that being selfish will leave you empty or diminished somehow, or even that you’ll receive the smallest portion at God’s table (whatever that may mean). The way Dr. King describes it turns that notion on its ear: He says instead that by serving, you will reach your ultimate potential. People are at their best, Dr. King points out, when they are helping others. It’s not so much that you will be punished for stockpiling whatever you can gather, it’s that ultimately you will be missing out on the best reward: the satisfaction of making contributions that benefit someone beyond yourself.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with wanting things or desiring success and recognition. Despite all that we can collect, though, we are at our finest — and we are most fulfilled — when we are reaching out, not taking in. Thanks, Dr. King.

My first thought upon reading this article was, “Does he really want to be in the Guinness Book that badly?” I’m encouraged to see that George Hood of Aurora, Illinois, who apparently broke the world record for riding a stationery bike on Saturday, used the feat to raise money for an organization that helps families of slain police officers. That’s a wonderful and worthy cause for anyone to ride a bike for 85 hours. Even better, he may have given the biggest donation in the organization’s history:

Hood hoped the feat would help raise thousands of dollars for the Illinois chapter of COPS, an organization that helps the families of slain police officers. Illinois COPS president Jennifer Morales has said Hood could be the largest single fundraiser the local group has had. Baron said Hood raised $25,000 for the group – $5,000 more than his goal.

Congratulations to Mr. Hood on achieving his goals, physical and philanthropic.

I wonder why people are so compelled to earn world records. I understand the desire for excellence when it comes to athletic or artistic achievements because those pastimes are widely followed and performed by a large population of people. In other words, holding a world record in track is significant because millions of people around the world run on a regular basis. Holding such a world record means that very likely no one, or at the least a very small number of people, can surpass your effort at that activity. That is an accomplishment to savor, no doubt.

I have no interest in diminishing Hood’s achievement because it is remarkable, but it’s important to note that he did not technically ride for 85 consecutive hours. For those of you wondering how he went to the bathroom, here’s your answer: “Hood took a few brief power naps along the way. Guinness Book rules allow a five-minute break for every completed hour of cycling.”

Nonetheless, I could not match Hood’s achievement without a serious period of conditioning training, and I have zero desire to try. Nicely done, George! [Image: AP via CNN.com]

In a Friday post, I fell for a Washington Times article that I will not dignify by linking again. In my opinion, a few House GOP members (particularly Rep. Patrick McHenry) are dishonestly making the claim that Pelosi’s minimum wage bill is somehow providing preferential treatment for a manufacturer in her district that has facilities in American Samoa. According to Sean Braisted and Hill News (below), this is absolutely false:

Efforts to bring the U.S. territory in the Northern Mariana islands under federal minimum wage law is creating political headaches for House Democrats because the U.S. has long held American Samoa to a different wage standard.

House Republicans are making plenty of political hay over the disparity between the two territories’ wage policies, lambasting Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Education and Labor Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.) for “exempting” American Samoa from their minimum wage bill and claiming that they’re being motivated by the fact that Del Monte’s headquarters are located in Pelosi’s district. Del Monte owns StarKist Tuna, which owns one of two packing plants in Samoa that together employ a large portion of the islands workers.

But the disparity between American Samoa and the Northern Mariana islands’ wage policies is nothing new, and the Democrats’ minimum wage bill does not mention American Samoa in any way.

While the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) has been exempt from any federal minimum wage standards – an exemption that former Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff worked for years to protect – Samoa has operated under federal minimum wage laws for years.

Samoa, however, has a federal wage review board in place that allows it to evaluate the effect incremental increases in its minimum wages would have on the territory’s economy. This wage review board, made up of representatives in Samoa’s business and public sector who are appointed by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, has set Samoa’s wages and has managed to keep them well below the mainland U.S. minimum wage.

Or, as blogger dday put it more succinctly (bold added by me):

[I]t’s important to note that the substance of the Republican argument, that the minimum wage bill specifically exempts American Samoa from federal minimum wage laws, is factually incorrect. American Samoa has ALREADY been exempt from those laws for some time, including for 12 years under a Republican majority. Currently wage floors in American Samoa are set by the US Department of Labor.

Mea culpa for calling out Pelosi for something she was not doing. Shame on those who tried to fool the public (and fooled me) by claiming she was trying to pull a fast one.

Amen.

I can’t find a Web site for Karl Dean, a candidate to be Nashville’s mayor in 2007. Dean announced his candidacy on December 19, nearly a month ago, and appears to be the only major mayoral candidate who does not have a campaign presence on the Web.

According to many, Dean’s base is young and/or wealthy progressives in West Nashville. I think Dean may be a very strong candidate for mayor, and I know that his base spends a lot of time on the Internet. Where are you, Karl?

I promise I’m not looking for podcasts and streaming video, just a basic Web site with background information, platform details and a photo or two. While we’re on the subject, David Briley, who is likely Dean’s biggest challenger for the progressive vote, has an innovative and attractive Web site. I won’t vote for him merely because of a Web site, but at least I know where to find him when I need him. Here’s where you can find the other candidates on the net:

• Bob Clement
• Buck Dozier
• Howard Gentry
• Dave Pelton
• Kenneth Eaton

Dave Pelton, who just announced his creative and engaging plans to run through 36 of Nashville’s neighborhoods beginning tomorrow morning, isn’t quite as creative and engaging on the Web. Dave, please give us some new content and post your news releases.

If I’ve missed anyone, including you, Karl, please let me know.

I’d like to hear Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s explanation for this bit of pork barrel in the House’s minimum-wage bill. I support this bill, but exempting favored businesses or areas is wrong. The Washington Post has reported on the emerging controversy:

One of the biggest opponents of the federal minimum wage in Samoa is StarKist Tuna, which owns one of the two packing plants that together employ more than 5,000 Samoans, or nearly 75 percent of the island’s work force. StarKist’s parent company, Del Monte Corp., has headquarters in San Francisco, which is represented by Mrs. Pelosi. The other plant belongs to California-based Chicken of the Sea.

2) Members of Congress should read bills, or make sure their staffs have, before they vote on them.

“I was troubled to learn of this exemption,” said Rep. Mark Steven Kirk, Illinois Republican. “My intention was to raise the minimum wage for everyone. We shouldn’t permit any special favors or exemptions that are not widely discussed in Congress. This is the problem with rushing legislation through without full debate.

3) Rep. Patrick McHenry has a pretty good sense of humor.

During the House debate yesterday on stem-cell research, Mr. McHenry raised a parliamentary inquiry as to whether an amendment could be offered that would exempt American Samoa from stem-cell research, “just as it was for the minimum-wage bill.”

A clearly perturbed Rep. Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat who was presiding, cut off Mr. McHenry and shouted, “No, it would not be.”

“So, the chair is saying I may not offer an amendment exempting American Samoa?” Mr. McHenry pressed.

“The gentleman is making a speech and will sustain,” Mr. Frank shouted as he slammed his large wooden gavel against the rostrum.

Our hopes for change and progress in Washington do not yet appear to have taken root. In fairness, both parties do this sort of thing on a regular basis. Why did Pelosi think this would go unnoticed, especially considering her prominence and her recent public words about honesty and positive change? I want those things, too, so I would really like to hear an explanation for this.

AT&T will axe the Cingular brand name now that it has acquired BellSouth. I think this is a big mistake. I am a Verizon customer, but I didn’t choose Verizon because of its name. I chose it because it offered me a better deal through my office than I could get as a consumer.

Cingular has invested billions of dollars creating and promoting this unique moniker. BellSouth abandoned the name BellSouth Mobility in order to do that. AT&T is claiming dollar savings and increased opportunity for bundling services by making the change, but I tend to agree with this take:

But with its long and complicated history, AT&T may face customer confusion over its name, marketing experts said. Also, Cingular built up a reputation among younger customers who may not easily associate with the AT&T brand.

Furthermore, if customers do associate AT&T with wireless phones, here’s what they think:

The new AT&T was formed in the merger of SBC Communications and AT&T Corp. in late 2005. Adding to the mix, in late 2004 Cingular bought AT&T Wireless, eradicating that brand because of its poor reputation among customers.

In a somewhat related note, someone please acquire Vonage and get rid of that excruciating theme song. I mute the TV every time it comes on. Aargh.

I highly recommend checking out the six-episode Sundance Channel documentary One Punk Under God that began airing in December. It recounts the recent adventures of Jay Bakker, son of maligned 70s and 80s televangelists Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Messner, and his wife Amanda.

After rebelling and partying for a few years (as most preacher’s kids do), Bakker settled down, grew up and started a church of his own, one that’s a little different from the average steeple on the corner and a far cry from his parents’ scandal-ridden PTL days. Not surprisingly given his childhood, Jay is focused on avoiding the kind of hypocrisy and self-righteousness that left him with a bad taste of Christianity in his mouth. He has concentrated instead on humility and grace and being authentic and loving to other people in seeking a relationship with God. Here’s a quote from Bakker spoken on Larry King Live in 2001 that resonated with me:

“I think we get caught in this idea of pleasing God rather than trusting God. And I think once you learn to trust God, it’s a lot easier to please God.”

If you’re God, do you really want people bringing you grapes? I think Bakker this is absolutely on to something with those words. In my opinion, one reason Christians and dedicated people of many other religions generate a backlash is that they are awfully quick to speak for God instead of letting God speak. Now I’m not really sure whether God uses words or performs miracles to get his points across, but I do think he acts within our hearts and minds. I think it is better to act with respect and love than with hostility and judgment. Bakker appears to agree with me here, too, based on the stickers he likes to place on parking meters and road signs to promote his church:

“As Christians, we’re sorry for being self-righteous judgmental bastards.”

Lately I’m tending to err heavily on the side of grace when it comes to God because I sincerely think that, if God as an all-powerful supreme being is real, why wouldn’t he demonstrate his power with compassion and grace? Is there a better way to say “Hi, I’m God?” What would sending millions of people to Hell really do to prove that he is mighty?

Many media outlets have reported on Jay and Amanda’s story, including the New York Times Magazine and The Seattle Times. Both are good reads if you are looking to learn more about this generation of Bakkers, and Jay’s church has its own shop on the Web. Sundance has plenty of repeats of all the episodes running.

I’m glad to see that newspapers still have some life left in them:

A recent survey by the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Strategic Public Relations Center and Ketchum found that consumers still depend heavily on newspapers and TV news for information, with nearly 70 percent relying on their local newspapers.

The survey seems to confirm what I’ve long observed. People today are swimming in a sea of media. Newspapers aren’t going away, they’re just not alone anymore in an increasingly crowded ocean.

This “crowded ocean” is a good description for the evolution of media I wrote about earlier this week. I’m also encouraged to see that the survey indicated that young people are in fact newspaper readers, despite the common perception that recent generations don’t read the paper:

More than half of adults 18 to 24 read local newspapers, the survey shows, with 16.4 percent reading a national newspaper or newspapers. Young adults are the most well rounded in their media habits, making significant use of all types of new and traditional media.

There are disadvantages to having more media options, including feeling overloaded by content, but I for one am happy to have more choices than ever for news sources. Thanks to Brittney for spying this information.

Generally speaking, I think technology does make us more intelligent and allows us to do things we may never previously have thought possible (or necessary, in some cases). Are we becoming too dependent on it, too?

I’m not worried about computers taking over the world, yet, but I wonder if we aren’t gradually being dumbed down by technology. We were warned: Our teachers and parents told us to learn math before relying on calculators to crunch numbers for us. Calculators would make it so easy, they said, that we wouldn’t pick up the underlying logic and technique.

I wonder whether cell phones are doing the same thing to us. When I was a kid, I knew my home phone number. We had a second line for a while as well, and I still remember both numbers. I remember the number of the family that lived across the street, but I haven’t called them in 15 years. Today, I can’t tell you the phone numbers of my three best friends or the home phone numbers of my brother or my father. I don’t have to remember them: They’re all stored in my cell phone.

This reminds me of a scene in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Indy and his dad have a memorable conversation about the things we remember (and the things we forget):

Professor Henry Jones: Stop. You’re going the wrong way. We need to get to Berlin.
Indiana Jones: Brody’s this way.
Professor Henry Jones: My diary’s in Berlin.
Indiana Jones: We don’t need the diary, Dad. Marcus has the map.
Professor Henry Jones: There is more in the diary than just the map.
Professor Henry Jones: Well, he who finds the Grail must face the final challenge.
Indiana Jones: What final challenge?
Professor Henry Jones: Three devices of such lethal cunning.
Indiana Jones: Booby traps?
Professor Henry Jones: Oh yes. But I found the clues that will safely take us through, in the Chronicles of St. Anselm.
Indiana Jones: But what are they? Can’t you remember?
Professor Henry Jones: I wrote them down in my Diary so I wouldn’t have to remember.

I wonder if this is what cell phones are doing to us. I joke sometimes that my cell phone is my brain because it contains my calendar and contacts. Without it, I’m on my way to Berlin, too.

Even Crave, CNET’s blog about technology, isn’t fast enough to keep up with the pace of innovation. Here’s a post from Monday (emphasis added):

If there were no buttons on your cell phone, imagine how big the screen could be…

Synaptics is doing just that with its Onyx phone (below), a new concept in cell phone technology. Shaped like a remote, it’s a bar-style phone that would integrate GPS, music, teleconferencing and calendar events.

But the coolest part is the screen, which takes up nearly the whole handset. Synaptics calls it ClearPad, a thin, high-resolution touch screen based on the company’s proprietary sensing technology. With it, there would be no need for buttons to input information. Information can be entered into the Onyx concept phone with two fingers, or via text entry.

Unfortunately, no company is planning on releasing this phone anytime soon, but the Onyx is out there and could be an indicator of what’s to come in the design of mobile handsets.

On Tuesday, Steve Jobs confirmed that “not anytime soon” is this coming June. Apple will release the iPhone (above) this summer, and I have to say that it looks revolutionary even for Apple. The iPhone seems remarkably similar in concept to the Onyx, although on first glance it looks better implemented.

The iPhone has been rumored for weeks, but I honestly didn’t think it would be this significant a leap forward in technology. I have to confess that I don’t care for the iPod’s proprietary format that won’t allow the use of subscription music services, so I don’t know if I’ll be an early adopter. I’ll probably hold out to see if Palm or anyone else building for the Palm OS can develop a comparable alternative, but I’m sold so far on this new interface.

I think it’s wild to see Crave highlight what appeared to be a distant technology on one day, only to see a similar (and possibly better) innovation launch the following day. Things are moving fast around here, and they aren’t slowing down anytime soon.

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