In a recent newspaper report on the state of the nation, local journalist Tom Moran cites a Pew survey in which most Americans surveyed rated the current and swiftly ending decade as the worst one of their lives. As a professional academic who was ousted from a highly rated, long-term teaching post this decade after a Fundamentalist takeover of the school where I taught, I am inclined to agree. Five years later I am still searching for any kind of meaningful full-time work, while yesterday I spied an ad for a “Ghost Twitterer” (as if someone is so important that they can’t write their own 140 daily words) and bowed my head in sorrow. Maybe we really have sunk to a new low.
What really caught my eye, however, was the statement of a fellow professor at Rutgers (where I have been an adjunct for nearly three years). Ross Baker noted that “It has always taken calamities of almost Biblical proportions to shake this country out of its smugness and complacency.” While I agree with his assessment, the use of the phrase “biblical proportions” demonstrated once again that my chosen field of specialization has a solid place in the popular imagination. Generally “biblical proportions” is a phrase used to refer to disasters, something along the magnitude of a world-wide flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, or the plagues of Egypt. These mythological episodes have left a deep impression on our culture that the message of the Bible is a fitting one for the first decade of the twenty-first century.
Perhaps we are really in trouble if this facile view of the Bible is wedded to a facile misuse of the same book for constructing prejudicial public policies and ill-conceived conservative “reforms.” If the past decade has been a wash in this country, I would attribute it to a conservative evangelical political machine that churned out a president who literally would have been pleased to bring on the mythical Armageddon. During this bushesque reign of biblical proportions, I lost a secure job teaching Bible and haven’t been able to find any other full-time work. I would continue my rant but I have to polish up my résumé, and hone my succinctness skills, and try for a Ghost Twitterer position.
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In over 20 years in sales and marketing I have made many cold calls. Over the last 12 months I have not made one cold phone call or bought any expensive mass media marketing, yet sales have increased and business is much more fun. Isn’t there a better use of your time and money? Think of how your life might change if you were calling only on prospects who actually want to buy from you. A lot of companies still have not realized it’s a digital world and the marketing rules are changing. So how would you optimise your companys digital presence to get found online and drive inbound enquiry for new customers and not have to cold call again or buy expensive mass media.
According to Barney Lin (InterVarsity staffer from Chicago area) “This Scribble-Live helps cover all things Urbana09 in the social sphere. Air reactions to talks memorable sound-byte quotes (or paragraphs!), comments on seminars, questions & thoughts, share links & resources, post up pictures and help cover the largest student missions conference in North America! 
![visions photos_46_thumb[6]](http://kimberlymcveyphotography.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/visionsphotos_46_thumb6_thumb.jpg?w=359&h=408 "visions photos_46_thumb[6]")
If the gig really isn’t you, don’t bother auditioning.
