• Reminder – My buddy Albert at Noble Jewelers will be open this Sunday for that special gift for that special someone in your life. Noble Jewelers is in Monrovia, at 668 W. Huntington Dr. just north of the 210, (626-357-9357, thenoblejewelers.com).
400-408 – Dustin McBride, one of the founders of the Zambian bicycle ministry called AKERFA (akerfa.org) joins us to talk about their ministry.
History:
In 2004, Vaughn Spethmann and Dustin McBride traveled with a team of fellow college students on a missions trip to Zambia. The people of Zambia quickly stole their hearts and opened their eyes to the difficult realities of poverty. Most of the population in Zambia suffers from the country's 50-80% unemployment status, while those fortunate enough to be employed are earning approximately $2 US a day.
During the team's last day in Zambia, Vaughn accompanied a newfound friend, Benjamin, on a bicycle ride. It was difficult for Vaughn to ignore the state of the bicycles around them. They had cracked frames, bent rims and seat posts, missing spokes and were covered in rust. Vaughn asked Benjamin how much his bike had cost, to which he replied, "Used, it was $200 US."
Upon Vaughn and Dustin's return to the States, they were unable to forget the plight of the people they had met in Zambia and wrestled with how to reconcile their mission's hearts with their business minds. With over a billion people worldwide lacking adequate access to transportation and most living in rural areas (like much of Zambia) cut off from markets, clinics and schools, the solution became more and more obvious: bicycles.
Bicycles would provide reliable transportation for people to get to work on time, enhance businesses, ensure medical workers could see patients and teachers and students could get to school. Setting up a bicycle company would also mean that employment opportunity, training and discipleship could happen.
The next problem: technical expertise. Vaughn and Dustin crossed paths with Daryl Funk, a bicycle engineer and all-around "bike guru" from Denver, Colorado. Alongside Vaughn and Dustin, Daryl traveled back to Zambia in 2007 to live in the community of Kampampa and establish a new bicycle company called Zambikes. The first container of 300 gorgeous red and blue bicycles was received that fall and assembled under the shade of a canopy attached to the side of the container.
In 2008, after spending their first year selling bikes and investing in the surrounding communities, Zambikes was able to purchase land in Kampampa, through the support of Akerfa, and began to construct an Assembly Facility under the direction of Jeffrey Robertson from San Diego, CA.
By God's grace and the unwavering drive to persevere in the midst of difficulty, Zambikes experienced exponential growth in its pursuit of sustainability. They gained credibility with Zambian heads of State, local and international press (including NPR and BBC) and the support of numerous nonprofits and NGOs (including World Vision, Catholic Relief Services, Charity: Water and more). By the beginning of 2010, a Caretaker's home and Community Center were completed on the Zambikes land, 2,500 bikes and 900 trailers had been distributed and new products had been developed. The Zambulance (bicycle ambulance trailer), Zamcart (cargo trailer) and new bamboo bicycles have set a new standard for solutions to transportation demands within Zambia and throughout the developing world.
But it's about more than a bike... Zambikes has been able to employ and mentor nearly 40 Zambikes team members, training them in management, bike assembly, fabrication and construction. Thousands of lives have then been impacted and saved through the use of the products they created. With the distribution of 750 ambulance trailers by the end of 2009, more than 50,000 lives will be saved in 2010.
The release of each Zambike, Zambulance and Zamcart provides people with access to healthcare, education and economic opportunities that had previously been inaccessible to them. That is the goal of a.ker.fa and its affiliates throughout Africa: to change lives by creating opportunities through reliable transportation.
408 – Win a free pair of tickets to see Kirk Franklin at the Citizen's Bank Arena on Friday December 23rd by going to KKLA.com and clicking on the Kirk Franklin button.
413-423 – Dustin McBride,
428-438 – Dustin McBride,
439 - Looking for some fun stuff for you and your family to do? Check out the cool events posted on our Community Calendar over at kkla.com.
443-452 – Dustin McBride,
458-508 – Wesley J. Smith, is both an attorney and a bioethicist, and Co-Director of the Discovery Institute's Center on Human Exceptionalism (discovery.org/che). His latest is A Rat is a Pig is a Dog is a Boy: The Human Cost of Animal Rights. We touch on the latest with the "rights of nature" movement and wacko environmentalism, and the other attacks on human exceptionalism – which, of course, is the Big Idea under assault.
• Juli Weiner (Vanity Fair, 12/15/2011) In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011.
• USA Today (12/16/2011). Did you pray for Christopher Hitchens?
(:45) Christopher Hitchens with CNN's Anderson Cooper 8/5/2010, talks about his deathbed.
512-523 – Wesley J. Smith
• Fox News (12/16/2011) Climategate Bombshell: Did U.S. Gov't Help Hide Climate Data?
523 - Download a free Daily Devotional from your favorite KKLA teacher, maybe it's Chuck Swindoll, Alistair Begg, or Greg Laurie, by clicking on Program Guide over at kkla.com.
528-539 – • USA Today (12/16/2011) 'Jewish Week' apologizes for 'inciting' Tebow column.
• Linda Chavez (12/16/2011) Tebow Critics Put Their Own Bigotry on Display.
// And Hammerman's bigotry doesn't stop there. On his own blog, he responds to criticism from those who took offense to his original article, noting that Tebow's "entire life's work is also predicated on saving my soul for Jesus. He's not alone in this. Tebow has been affiliated with the Southern Baptists, who spend millions to convert Jews, often deceptively. I personally don't consider that exemplary behavior. Is it better than raping little boys? Absolutely. But is it admirable? I have issues with anyone determined to save my soul, be that person Christian or Jewish."
// True tolerance means allowing others to believe what they choose and to express those beliefs, so long as they do not interfere with the liberty of others. Tebow does not insist that his teammates join him in prayer, nor does he interfere with those who choose a different religious -- or non-religious -- expression of joy and gratitude.
But illiberals want religion out of the public square altogether. They want to reinterpret the First Amendment to deny religious freedom, not to protect it. They want to force religious people of all faiths to keep their religion in the closet, while at the same time enforcing the open acceptance -- indeed, encouragement -- of behaviors that conflict with traditional religious tenets. The illiberal religious bigots believe putting a creche on public property is unconstitutional; but displaying a crucifix in a in a tax-supported museum is just fine, just so long as it's stuck in a jar of urine.
Tim Tebow is not the problem. The real problem is our willingness to be bullied into thinking that prejudice masked as tolerance is acceptable.
544-554 – Calls – So, did the punishment fit the crime?
• ESPN (12/16/2011) High schoolers banned for Tebowing.
(2:18) Tebowing Suspension full. (An unnamed ESPN Sportscenter anchor interviews Connor Carroll, student and athlete from Riverhead High School in NY on 12/16/2011.)
600-700 – Dream Center Reprise!
• Fox News (12/15/2011) On the Job Hunt: Machinists in High Demand.
