The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

This afternoon I had the distinct privilege of attending a screening of the upcoming film: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

It was amazing.

Many thanks to Bob Beltz and Walden Media for making it possible to see this rare advanced screening.

If you love the story, you'll love this film.

It is a very faithful adaptation of the book. It has the advantage of being an adaptation of a very short book. Lewis' style is very compact, reminiscent of the Hebrew Bible. This helps this film to succeed where others fail.

The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter for example are so lengthy and detailed that they are difficult to credibly realize on film. Narnia is literary world rendered in brief detail. This film fills in detail and ornament creating a very satisfying result.

It is difficult for me to put myself in the mind of someone seeing the film who has not read the book and the whole Narnia series. I have to believe that it is a great film even for those with no prior knowledge of the story.

For me the entire film felt like a Rockwell painting.

Not that there's a hint of Americana in it but rather the film captures the essence of each scene of the book so well that it's difficult to improve on.

Richard Taylor who oversaw special effects for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy brings the same magic to this film. I can't say that he deserves all the credit but the same attention to detail is clearly on display.

The children's faces, are classic in every sense, capturing both the universal characteristics of children and young adulthood and the distinct particulars of each individual character:

Lucy and her wide innocent eyes and childish moon cheeks.

Edmund with the furrowed brow and scowl of immature boyhood.

Susan in the bloom of youthful beauty and noble character.

Peter's steely, determined eyes set in a still boyish face.

Each childs face is fascinating. The casting director gets an A.

Lucy actually reminded me of my youngest Kathryn and Edmund of my own son with his pug nose and freckles. And the always delightful Jim Broadbent looking like my dear Uncle Bob it watching a family reunion.

Surprise cameos(?) by Liam Neeson and Rupert Everett add lustre to the cast and Tilda Swinton is the best evil person/creature/witch/angel/being in recent memory. What's next for her, playing Maleficent?

The battle scenes are compelling and at times visually stunning, on par with a PG Lord of the Rings. The digital animals are usually amazing. The centaurs were most impressive.

I was disappointed that there was not more blood. This sounds very odd I'm sure but one of the most refreshing things about this children's story is that punishment and justice are not watered down or distorted.

In a metaphor about blood sacrifice I expected to see a hint of blood but there was none. Not even in battle. I understand that this is a children's film and I can respect the choice to sanitize the death and injury. Still I wouldn't have removed this central part of the Christian metaphor.

However, the bad guys don't fall off cliffs in this Disney movie. They get killed by good guys. Not murdered. Killed, as just punishment for their many crimes, including murder. All save one who is spared and redeemed, yet the punishment is still meted out. This moral universe, I expect, will be very jarring to many who have attended graduate school.

The film is appropriate for kids age 7 and up in my estimation. My 7 year old will get edgy or upset during some of the intense scenes but she bawls at commercials so your mileage may vary. She will cheer at the end though.

The genius and insight of Lewis is vivid throughout the film. His brief but profound metaphor of Christ brought me to tears several times in this wonderful adaptation.

It is one, almost unheard of example of a film perhaps surpassing the book that it is based on. It is a triumph. Idon't know what my expectations were but they were exceeded; an achievement that will become part of my DVD library as soon as is legally possible.


My Rating: Own it (but don't you dare miss it on the big screen)

BTW if you want to read my past reviews, type "my rating" into the search box on the top left and you'll get a list.

This guy liked it too.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

Saw Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire tonight.

I'm not a Potter book devotee so I'm not the best judge but my wife is and she was disappointed.

There was a lot of action at the expense of dialogue, relationship and character. Good for the eye, thin for the soul.

My wife loves the friendship between these characters in the books and she felt it was in scant supply in the film.

It must be difficult given the detailed world of Hogwarts to do justice to the original article (as opposed to Narnia which I'll post momentarily).

Still I liked it as much as the other Potter films which is fairly well. I'll bet it appeals more to men than women.

My Rating: Rentable

Plane Blogging

From last week:

I'’m in a plane right now flying back from Boston where I got a sneak preview of my new life. I'’ll post this later but right now this is about all I can manage. We traveled in coach because I couldn't afford an upgraded ticket for Alex, Nathan and myself. The guy in front of me on the plane is not shy about laying back in my lap. Never mind that I'm 6'7". I hate to admit it but I haven't been shy about shoving his torso upright when I need to.

My only option for typing right now is without looking at the screen. There's not enough room for my laptop screen between the back of the seat in front of me and my giant gut.

We spent three days in Speculator, New York for our annual NE staff conference. This is our first year in attendance and it was a great time. We got to know many of our new colleagues and co-laborers. It was a refreshing time of renewed vision for the Lord and for the world.

Partisan gut check

BREITBART.COM - Calif. Congressman Admits Taking Bribes: "Rep. Randy 'Duke' Cunningham pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy and tax charges and tearfully resigned from office, admitting he took $2.4 million in bribes to steer defense contracts to conspirators."

Some might think I idolize Republicans. I don't. All politicians tend toward greed and corruption because of the power that they weild. The key issue for me regarding corruption is accountability. This Republican Congressman is being prosecuted to the full extent of the law, just like those Enron lowlifes. Kofi Annan and the rest of his UN gangsters are still enjoying the opulent fruit of their corrupt labors, free from prosecution. Profiting from the torture of a dictators evil regime? Nice work if you can get it at the UN, and even nicer if you can get away with it. Who holds the UN accountable?

I ask you, which party wants to give more power to the UN? That's just one reason why I'm a Republican.

Mother Sheehan’s Book Signing

Sweetness & Light: "Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan waits for people to show up at her book signing near President Bush’s ranch on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2005 in Crawford, Texas."

Dr. Helen: Teen Went Willingly

Dr. Helen: "It does not help that we have infused kids with a lack of guilt--trying our best to raise their self-esteem to the point where the normal social sanctions against murder no longer apply to some kids. According to a study by a George Mason University professor, guilt has been found to possibly predict later behavior. Kids who were more prone to feeling guilt were less likely to try drugs and alcohol, less likely to become criminals, less likely to commit suicide and more likely to practice safe sex."

I thought "learning to love yourself, is the greatest love of all".

Digital Religion

FT December 2005: Articles: "The next stop may be the digitizing of religious practice. Online confessions have been around at least since 1997, and although the Catholic Church has rejected the practice, that hasn’t closed down all the virtual confessionals. At Absolution-Online.com, for instance, you can enter the virtual booth, select your sins from five general classes of misdoing, and then proceed to the automated confessor, which doles out punishments normally consisting of some combination of fasting, Our Fathers, and Hail Marys. Although there is a disclaimer saying that the e-confessional isn’t sanctioned by the Catholic Church, most of its language is taken from the sacramental texts. Absolution-Online.com is also one of several sites that offers a virtual rosary. The website Universalis does an online version of the Liturgy of the Hours. Elsewhere there are cyber Seders and even Internet muftis.

Beliefnet’s Waldman thinks that this distancing of the self from the religious act can be helpful. “The anonymity of the Internet is what makes it work so well for religion,” he says. “It’s the flip side of why porn spreads. The same phenomenon that has led to pornography spreading, a variant of that has made religion one of the most popular topics online. It’s that you can explore religious matters in the privacy of your own home; ask questions you might be embarrassed to ask; have conversations with people with some anonymity; and do it anytime day or night.” This “anonymity combined with intimacy,” Waldman says, makes people “more inclined to open up,” since they aren’t revealing themselves totally.

To which one wants to say: Doesn’t that metaphor give you pause? Is a technique that has made pornography into the Internet’s number-one business really a good idea for religion, the Internet’s number-two business?

The failure of anonymous online pornography to be real sex is also the failure of anonymous online churching to be real religion: In both sex and religion, incarnation—the physical body—turns out to matter a great deal."

Interesting article. Read the part about the Jesus Poker Chips ("He went all in for you").

Please come to Boston...

Of to Boston tomorrow to look at houses and meet my new region for the weekend.

Blogging will be even lighter than the paltry bit I usually manage. Oh well.

I've been dying to put down some thoughts about more movies and about a "king".

That will have to wait though. I'm not feeling very well and we have to be on the bus at 6:50am tomorrow.

It's going to be cold up there!

The Church is Flat

As I often do, I've been at a conference this week and haven't had time to blog about it until now. I was observing a Leadership Network community for Multi-Site Churches.

The time is coming and now is when churches will no longer be defined by a physical space, or even a city. The technology is available to immerse churchgoers in a replica of the sights and sounds of a worship experience, whether or not that experience is actually originating in the same room. I saw it with my own eyes last week. A video reproduction of a Sunday sermon was shown on 3 massive screens at a satellite campus of Fellowship Church in Grapevine, TX. It was so vivid and lifelike that I could pick out blemishes and veins in the pastors face from 200 feet away.

This is largely the thesis of The World is Flat which I have begun reading but have not finished. I began to imagine the possibility of students in closed countries, enjoying fellowship with other Christian students around the world, as well as gaining access to theological resources and even the experience of a church family, only without the physical reality present. Interesting stuff.

Many of my seminary mates and professors would warn of the inherent dangers in melding technology and worship and removing direct human contact from the meaning of the term "Body of Christ". Their warnings would be valid and important. Technology is always a mixed blessing. What helps a student who is cut off from the physical body of Christ because of oppression might actually harm someone who can and should have access to a physical and immediate manifestation of the people of God. Such questions need wisdom applied in each setting. Technology is neither all good, nor all bad. It changes things.

Whether we like it or not, the time is coming and now is.

Cathy's World: Jesus is just a liberal, alright with me?

Cathy's World:

" Although Regas called his sermon "If Jesus Debated Senator Kerry and President Bush," he didn't imagine Jesus sitting there awkwardly on a third stool, like Ross Perot, but as a presence directly criticizing only Bush, never Kerry. (Although you'd think, just out of curiosity, Jesus might have asked what really happened on those Swift boats.)

Instead, Regas' Jesus scolds the president: "President Bush, you have not made dramatically clear what have been the human consequences of the war in Iraq," adding, "now the latest figures say 100,000 Iraqi fighters, women and children are dead." And: "Jesus turns to President Bush again with deep sadness. 'Is what I hear really true? Do you really mean that you want to end a decade-old ban on developing nuclear battlefield weapons?' "

Leaving aside the odd notion of Jesus getting information by checking "the latest figures" (wouldn't he just know?) or hanging around the water cooler ("Is what I hear really true?"), Regas' Jesus is quite a policy wonk. According to the sermon, Jesus is pro-choice, against the Iraq war and vehemently disapproves of the Bush tax cuts (that "50% of the tax savings goes to the top 1% of the wealthiest Americans" would "break Jesus' heart," according to Regas). He's in favor of good prenatal care, "dignified jobs" (does carpentry count?) and affordable housing. I'm curious what he thinks of gerrymandered voting districts, electricity regulation and making it easier to fire bad teachers, but maybe Jesus isn't really into California politics.

"How Jesus mourns the death of those 3,000 people killed on 9/11," Regas continues. "But Jesus also mourns the death, devastation and loss in Afghanistan and Iraq and Sudan and Israel-Palestine…." Then he conjures up Jesus again: "At the time of the trauma of 9/11," Jesus says, "you did not have to declare war. You could have said to the American people and the world, 'We will respond, but not in kind.' "

Just how Bush should have responded, Jesus doesn't say. But I'd like to know how Regas would have channeled Jesus' foreign policy ideas about Pearl Harbor, for instance, or the Holocaust. Presumably Jesus would have thought the latter, at least, merited some kind of action — if only to keep it from leading to what Regas calls "Israel-Palestine" instead of just Palestine.

"Mr. President," Regas' Jesus continues, "the consequences of arrogance, accompanied by certitude that the world's most powerful military can cure all ills…." And blah-blah-blah-blabbity-blah. This Jesus is awfully wordy, not at all like the terse prophet you may remember from the Bible. Regas apparently thinks Jesus would sound rather like Cindy Sheehan blathering on to the Huffington Post, or maybe like one of John Kerry's speechwriters.

And if Regas had been around when the Gospels were written, they'd probably include lines like, "Father, forgive their consequences, for their ignorance is accompanied by certitude. "

Blessed are the moderates, for they shall see both sides.

The End of Newspapers?

BREITBART.COM - Just The News: "Dark days are ahead for American newspapers, as sales tumble, a warp-speed news culture leaves lumbering dailies behind and scandals over flawed reporting taint heavyweight titles."

As Good as It Gets (1997)

This movie is a magnet.

I'm watching right now for about the 1000th time on TBS.

I can't pass it up.

This is easily one of the best movies ever made and perhaps the best screenplay of all time.

The humanity!

If you haven't seen it, I pity you. I pity the fool who hasn't seen this movie.

My rating: Own it

The Early Church

In case you missed this over the weekend.

Haarets: "A mosaic and the remains of a building uncovered recently in excavations on the Megiddo prison grounds may belong to the earliest church in the world, according to a preliminary examination by the Israel Antiquities Authority.

One of the most dramatic finds suggests that, instead of an altar, a simple table stood in the center of the church, at which a sacred meal was held to commemorate the Last Supper."

The New York Times and willful ignorance

First Death Is Reported in Paris Riots as Arson Increases - New York Times: "Though a majority of the youths committing the acts are Muslim, and of African or North African origin, the mayhem has yet to take on any ideological or religious overtones. "

Right.

So why is the violence spreading to other countries?

NYT: I don't know. But I'm sure it doesn't have any ideological or religious overtones. It's just "unrest" by "youths".

OK I made that last statement up. But give me a break, you call this reporting.

Here's some reporting:

Social divisions in today's French society run along ethnic and religious lines, and they also signify deep cultural rifts. The ideal of the French republic -- the nation as a community of the willing, of citizens who enjoy equal rights, regardless of their ethnic origins or religious beliefs -- is giving way to a volatile co-existence among communities that want to retain their identities and live according to their own rules. The official French position has always been to condemn multiculturalism -- and yet the state must now deal with the consequences.

The strict separation of church and state, a sacrosanct pillar of French government, has become an illusion. Jihad may not be what's inspiring the rioters, but Islam is undeniably an inseparable component of their self-identity. Islam strengthens their sense of solidarity, gives them the appearance of legitimacy and draws an unmistakable line between them and the others, the "French."

Suddenly "big brothers" -- devout bearded men from the mosques who wear long traditional robes -- are positioning themselves between the authorities and the rioters in Clichy-sous-Bois, calling for order in the name of Allah. As thousands of voices shout "Allahu Akbar" from the windows of high-rise apartment buildings, shivers run down the spines of television viewers in their seemingly safe living rooms.

But wait a minute. I was taught in college that all cultures are equally moral and legitimate. Why doesn't that seem to work in France, or the rest of Europe? (or at college for that matter)

Let's hope that if John Kerry wins the White House in 2008, France will still be around to help administer the "Global Test" that U.S. foreign policy is supposed to undergo before it is acted upon.

Hugh interviews the Porn Student

Radio Blogger: "There is a scandal on this campus, because one of the students there produced and starred in a hard-core pornography film and has aired it on their student-run television station. Essentially, the good taxpayers of the State of California are footing the bill for over the air porn. Here's Hugh's interview with the student at the center of the controversy, Steve York. Note all the times Hugh asks if the school ever got involved.


...HH: But I mean, I'm talking about on campus.

SY: Nobody on campus.

HH: I'm just stunned. I mean, have you had any regret at all?

SY: You know, well after February, I've never expected just something that I did a ten minute ridiculous segment that played once to really change my life. And unfortunately, or fortunately, there's no going back.

HH: Well actually, there is. There is going back. There's always...you don't have to do this, right?

SY: Well...wait, say that again. Sorry, my phone rang.

HH: I mean, yeah you've made the movie, and you've shown it, but you don't have to kind of stand there and say, unquestionably, it was a good idea. I mean, you could admit that it was a mistake at some point, right?

SY: You know, I'm not going to be ashamed about sex, or...

HH: I'm not talking about shame. I'm talking about this particular...I'm not talking about sex at all. I'm talking about making a porn movie in which you star. At some point, are you open to the idea that you made a mistake?

SY: Not at all. I'm fighting for what I believe in. I think it's a very, very critical 1st Amendment and sexual expression issue, as well as student control issues.

HH: Did you ever read the book by the woman who starred in Deep Throat? What happened to her?

SY: Uh, Linda Lovelace?

HH: Yeah.

SY: You know, I realize the porn industry has this really negative past, but if we get...talk about sexuality and pornography into the open...

HH: Now, that's not what I'm asking. I'm asking did you read her book?

SY: No, I did not.

HH: Okay, because this industry destroys a lot of people. And I actually don't want to argue with you so much as just to let you know it's okay to later on say you know what? I really screwed up, because I think you really screwed up here

SY: Well, I think times are changing. Thirty years ago, when the porn industry were just starting, an adult film could bring an obscenity prosecution against you. With the advent of the internet, and you, just walking down the street every day, are probably running into people who have organized crime...

HH: Steve, you're not hearing me. I know this. I teach this stuff.

SY: Where do you teach?

HH: I teach at Chapman Law School. I know all the obscenity laws. I know all the decisions. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the personal toll on you, and that no one at the University, not one person took you aside and said Steve, you really might want to think about this. This is not a choice that you see a lot of people making for a reason.

SY: Well, I'm making it for a reason. It's not just me going into make money on this. It's really to bring up an issue that I feel strongly about, and that I've felt strongly about for years now.

HH: Did any of your friends come up to you and say you don't want to do this? Because you know, I've seen, actually, people who had their pictures taken in Girls Gone Wild, later suing the production people there out of regret and grief, and they just decide what they did. And they can't get out of it.

SY: Yeah, but this is the difference here. Rather than a pornographic production company like Shane's World or any of the other companies that come to college campuses to recruit people, this is something we're doing on our own.

HH: Okay, Steve. I'm out of time. Maybe I'll have you back. But hear me say this. You don't have to stand where you are right now. You can go back. You can say I made a mistake. And I'll pray that you come up to that decision. Thanks for joining me."

Read the whole thing.

Student 'girlcott' protests Abercrombie t-shirts

Newsday.com: "With a few words on their T-shirts, Abercrombie & Fitch lets young women send a message: 'Who needs a brain when you have these?'

A group of female high school students have a message for A&F: Stop degrading us.

The Allegheny County (Pa.) Girls have started a boycott--or girlcott, as they're calling it--of the retailer."

Crash (2004)

Crash (2004): I actually saw this movie last week.

I was disappointed. Crash has gotten rave reviews and it talked about as early Oscar favorite for Best Picture.

I disagree.

It is a good movie but definitely not great.

It fails on two levels. First, it is not true to LA. I grew up in LA. I had friends who were black, white, brown and every other color. My dad (who is white) drove a bus (which in the movie is a symbol of racial injustice) and worked for the Bus company in LA for 30 years. Growing up, he had friends from Egypt, Mexico, Ecuador and many other countries. Not these, my dad had friends of every racial stripe. My Dad worked the LA riots for crying out loud. I just finished two summers bringing students to Venice Beach which is probably the most ethnically diverse beach in the whole wide world.

What's my point. Crash makes LA out to be a hot bed of racism. In reality it isn't. LA is too laid back to a hotbed of racism. I'm not saying it doesn't exist in LA but think about it from the another perspective. Given that LA is among the most racially diverse cities in the world, the question should be "Why isn't there more racial unrest in LA?" I'm sure the French would like to know.

The second major flaw in the film is its unrealistic portrayal of racists. My experience with racists teaches me that racists are mean, hateful people who use racism as a brand of hatefulness reserved for people of other races. Crash portrays people who are kind and decent in most of their lives but racist when it comes to those outside of their families. I think the last 50 years of racial integration and awareness has made this very rare. I would argue that today, overt racism is largely perpetrated by people who are cruel and rude across the board, and racism is just the insult du jour when confronted with someone of another race.

What makes a film like Magnolia (be advised regarding the 2-3000 F-words) so much more powerful than Crash is that Magnolia portrays families in a way that corresponds to how most families actually are (going back to the Biblical times for that matter). Crash is full of racists who, for me, were not true to life.

I suspect some of the positive reviews of this film stem from fear of panning a movie that makes racism it's target. That's too bad. Truth loses in a world of political correctness. For a much more realistic picture of racism see Monsters Ball (be advised regarding the nearly x-rated sex scene).

My Rating: Rentable

When is racism ok?

'Party trumps race' for Steele foes - Metropolitan - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper: "Black Democratic leaders in Maryland say that racially tinged attacks against Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele in his bid for the U.S. Senate are fair because he is a conservative Republican."

I guess when you are racist against Black Republicans.

So much for Rosa Parks. Sigh.

University of Porn

Hugh Hewitt: "The Chancellor of a great university is unable to summon the moral vocabularly much less courage to forbid the showing of a hard core porn --this is the state of American higher education."

Campus Crusade for Kitsch

TWU: News & Events: "'Kitsch” may be a new word for some people, but it has existed for many years. In the contemporary world it is evident in everything from “Jesus is my homeboy” T-shirts, to the commercializing of Christmas; the sentimentality of what was once sacred and meaningful replaced by cheap reproductions. This September, Trinity Western University art professor and kitsch expert Betty Spackman, released her debut book, A Profound Weakness, Christians and Kitsch, a collection of questions and discoveries from her own artistic journey which grapples with kitsch in the western world."

Talk about a Quagmire

Transterrestrial Musings: "As this bloody and futile war enters its fourth year, the casualties continue to rise, and while it's hard to know how many American soldiers have been lost, due to a secretive Roosevelt administration, many analysts think that the number of deaths in brutal battle is now approaching a quarter of a million."

The wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time?

A proud member of the UN

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iran leader defends Israel remark: " Iran's president has defended his widely criticised call for Israel to be "wiped off the map".

Attending an anti-Israel rally in Tehran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his remarks were "just" - and the criticism did not "have any validity".

His initial comment provoked anger from many governments, and prompted Israel to demand Iran's expulsion from the UN...

Shouting 'Death to Israel, death to the Zionists', the protesters dragged Israeli flags along the ground and then set them on fire."

The Cover Up

BREITBART.COM - Just The News: "In each of the counts, the basic allegation against Libby is that he lied to investigators or Fitzgerald's grand jury about his conversations with reporters. He is not accused of purposely revealing the identity of a covert officer, the potential charge that Fitzgerald was initially appointed to investigate. "

No crime, just a cover up. It's always about the cover up.

Strong, Sweet Smell Reported in Manhattan

That is news.

Michelle Malkin: DEMONIZING CONDI

Michelle Malkin: "No, Condi isn't possessed; the photo was manipulated."

Media bias (Condi's freaking eyes) that you can see with your own freaking eyes.

MY ADVICE TO CHRISTIANS, JEWS, HINDUS, ETC:

Instapundit.com: "MY ADVICE TO CHRISTIANS, JEWS, HINDUS, ETC: Start blowing things up and beheading people. This will gain you enormous solicitude from the powers-that-be:"

Read the whole thing.

The Gospel According to Anne

MSNBC.com: "They've been worried about her. After 25 novels in 25 years, Rice, 64, hasn't published a book since 2003's 'Blood Chronicle,' the tenth volume of her best-selling vampire series. They may have heard she came close to death last year, when she had surgery for an intestinal blockage, and also back in 1998, when she went into a sudden diabetic coma; that same year she returned to the Roman Catholic Church, which she'd left at 18. They surely knew that Stan Rice, her husband of 41 years, died of a brain tumor in 2002. And though she'd moved out of their longtime home in New Orleans more than a year before Hurricane Katrina, she still has property there—and the deep emotional connection that led her to make the city the setting for such novels as 'Interview With the Vampire.' What's up with her? 'For the last six months,' she says, 'people have been sending e-mails saying, 'What are you doing next?' And I've told them, 'You may not want what I'm doing next'.' We'll know soon. In two weeks, Anne Rice, the chronicler of vampires, witches and—under the pseudonym A. N. Roquelaure—of soft-core S&M encounters, will publish 'Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt,' a novel about the 7-year-old Jesus, narrated by Christ himself. 'I promised,' she says, 'that from now on I would write only for the Lord.' It's the most startling public turnaround since Bob Dylan's 'Slow Train Coming' announced that he'd been born again."

Only Liberals Need Apply

Dr. Helen: "Here is another USA Today article looking at the disturbing trend of fewer men attending college--especially liberal arts colleges (gee, there's a surprise). It is easy to see why boys avoid these types of feminine empires--to succeed, one has to adopt a liberal point of view."

The Mental Ward (Churchill)

The Mental Ward (Churchill): "Todd Beamer, one of the heros of 9/11 doomed flight 93, is a graduate of DePaul University! He received his masters from the same school that financially supports Ward Churchill, who called the victims of 9/11 “little Eichmanns”."

Starbucks with a God on cups

Yahoo! News: "Coffee drinkers could get a spiritual jolt with their java in the spring when Starbucks begins putting a God-filled quote from the Rev. Rick Warren, author of the mega-selling The Purpose-Driven Life, on its cups."

Out of the mainstream...

Shock Jock's Audience Is Beating Him to the Door: "Air America, the liberal talk network carried on WWRC-AM (1260), went from bad to nonexistent. After WWRC recorded a mere fraction of a rating point in the spring with syndicated shows from the likes of lefty talkers Al Franken, Janeane Garofalo and Stephanie Miller, Arbitron couldn't detect a measurable listenership for the station this time around."

In Her Shoes (2005)

In Her Shoes is a great movie.

Warm, sad, very funny and spot on perceptive.

The best movie of it's kind since As Good as it Gets, except that there's no strong male character here (at least not as strong as Jack Nicholson).

Great movie. (Disclaimer: Of the 40 people in the theatre last night, I was one of 3 males.)

My Rating: Own it

Myths About Gun Control By John Stossel

RealClearPolitics - Commentary - Myths About Gun Control By John Stossel: "'Don't tell me this bill will not make a difference,' said President Clinton, who signed the Brady Bill into law.

Sorry. Even the federal government can't say it has made a difference. The Centers for Disease Control did an extensive review of various types of gun control: waiting periods, registration and licensing, and bans on certain firearms. It found that the idea that gun control laws have reduced violent crime is simply a myth.

I wanted to know why the laws weren't working, so I asked the experts. 'I'm not going in the store to buy no gun,' said one maximum-security inmate in New Jersey. 'So, I could care less if they had a background check or not.'

'There's guns everywhere,' said another inmate. 'If you got money, you can get a gun.'"

To see gun control laws in action, watch the movie Lord of War.

The Democratic Civil War

WorldNetDaily: Sheehan thrashing 'war hawk' Hillary: "Cindy Sheehan, the so-called 'peace mom' on a crusade to end U.S. involvement in the Iraq war, is publicly blasting Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., for her continued support of the ongoing conflict."

Preview of coming attractions...

Babysitter twofer

Kate was our most recent babysitter and Emily was for a time before that. Both were CU students that we worked with in CCC. Now they are both in Russia, sharing the Gospel.

This is why we do what we do.
My Life Commentary: in the nature with God: "In this country, the outdoors is referred to as nature. My teammates, Kate and Steph, went to meet with a new Russian friend and upon deciding how they should spend their time togehter, Masha asked, 'Would you like to go to the natyre?' So Kate, Steph, and Masha strolled through the nature, got to know eachother, discussed life, and talked about God. As they talked, Masha confessed that she had never heard the word grace before, neither in English nor in Russian. She had believed in God all of her life, and also believed in Jesus, but had never heard the entire Gospel before. The three girls stood on a peninsula overlooking the lake, and Masha prayed to recieved Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. God had been working on her heart preparing her for this moment. Masha was just waiting for someone to tell her."

ScrappleFace: Senators Not Qualified to Question Miers

ScrappleFace: Specter: Senators Not Qualified to Question Miers: "'Most of us in the Senate used to be lawyers,' said Sen. Specter, 'and you can't expect a simple ambulance chaser to understand the kind of weighty issues that come before the Supreme Court.'

The chairman noted that Senators not only 'lack the intellectual heft' to comprehend Constitutional law and formulate questions about it, but many of them became lawmakers through 'what amounts to a popularity contest.'

'The average senator holds his seat thanks to personal wealth, political cronyism and the ability to perform for the camera,' Sen. Specter said. 'Those are hardly qualifications for scrutinizing a potential Supreme Court justice about the various theories related to original intent.'"

Gorgeous views can be seen...

If you want to buy our house, click here.

Please do. Then we can move to Boston.

Update: Yu-Gi-Oh cards on basement desk, sold separately. And what's up with the paint in the master bathroom. Looks like someone forgot to finish their photoshop sweetening. ...What a bargain! Spacious! blah blah blah...

stronger than the scumbags. . .

Instapundit.com -: "Here's some gloating from a Marine. Excerpt: 'The fact that there wasn’t a major mass casualty of voters, SBVIED in polling centers or assassinations conducted that the foaming mouth reporters could get in the middle of just reinforces how far the Iraqi forces have come and how they are getting stronger than the scumbags. . . . Reporters countrywide saturated the area days prior to the elections to hopefully catch the US forces failing. Well too damn bad it didn’t happen so pound sand! . . . I know that if there were an unsuccessful election, it would have been nothing but 'Breaking News' shots about how we failed.'"

Mark Twain: On Risk

Eric Swanson: "'Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.'--Mark Twain in Life and Leadership, Volume 5, Issue 7"

Well said.

Well, on to Boston.

Football cruise was allegedly a sex party

Vikings cruise was allegedly a sex party: "Minnesota Vikings players are being investigated in connection with a lake cruise that turned into a wild sex party last week on Lake Minnetonka."

I don't understand. I thought only college football players engaged in illicit sex. Fascinating.

Phi Tau and out

Colorado Daily News: "After 81 years at CU-Boulder, the local chapter of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity is closing its doors for the remainder of the academic year - maybe longer."

This won't warm the heart of several of my good friends.

Average age of newspaper readers: 55

Average age of newspaper readers: 55: "Newspaper readership is down. Fewer young people are picking them up, and the average age of a newspaper reader is now 55, according to a Carnegie Corporation study. Many papers have been losing circulation at alarming rates across all age groups."

My Dad is over 55. He loves his LA Times.

I don't get a newspaper.

Good News from Iraq?

New York Times: "BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 11 - Iraqi political leaders agreed to an important last-minute revision in the draft constitution this evening in exchange for a promise by some prominent Sunni Arab leaders to support the document in this Saturday's nationwide referendum.

The revision would create a panel in Iraq's next parliament with the power to propose broad revisions to the constitution, which would otherwise have been largely set in stone if the public approved it on Saturday.

The agreement was a major victory for American officials, who have spent weeks urging Iraq's Shiite and Kurdish leaders to make changes that would soften Sunni opposition to the charter."

It must be unimpeachable good news if the New York Times can't ignore it.

More: Explosive Device Detonated Near UCLA

lgf: "Meanwhile, in Westwood near UCLA last Friday: Explosive found at Midvale."

More non news

11Alive.com: Atlanta News - Explosives Found Near Tech Dorms: "Three explosive devices found in a courtyard between two Georgia Tech dormitories on the East Campus Monday morning were part of a 'terrorist act,' an Atlanta police official said.

One of the devices exploded, injuring the custodian who found them inside a plastic bag. Two others were detonated by a bomb squad."

If it doesn't make Bush look bad...

...then it's not news.
CBSNews.com: Blog: "Has there been more happening at the University of Oklahoma than hazing and all-nighters? The blogosphere, led by Michelle Malkin, has been chronicling the suspicious explosion at the University of Oklahoma just over a week ago, and wondering why the big media doesn’t appear interested. "

Sigh.

Sex Education

Breitbart.com: "Americans are playing a risky game of sexual roulette, according to a new poll that found only 39 percent of respondents always ask a new lover if they are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

The new poll by Zogby for MSNBC.com also found that 73 percent of respondents were involved in a monogamous relationship and 66 percent of those surveyed had had unprotected sex while under the influence of alcohol.

Just 39 percent of respondents to the online survey, conducted between September 12 to 16, said they always asked whether a new partner is infected with HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases.

Thirty-one percent said they never discuss the touchy issue with a new partner, according to a summary of the survey findings published on MSNBC.com.

The same survey also found that 15 percent of Americans had paid someone for sex, and 25 percent of those surveyed anonymously in the online poll had sex three times a week or more, while 20 percent made love fewer than twice a month.

Some 35 percent of respondents said they had been with between one and five sexual partners, while 19 percent said they had gone through more than 25 partners.">BREITBART.COM - Just The News: "Americans are playing a risky game of sexual roulette, according to a new poll that found only 39 percent of respondents always ask a new lover if they are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

The new poll by Zogby for MSNBC.com also found that 73 percent of respondents were involved in a monogamous relationship and 66 percent of those surveyed had had unprotected sex while under the influence of alcohol.

Just 39 percent of respondents to the online survey, conducted between September 12 to 16, said they always asked whether a new partner is infected with HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases.

Thirty-one percent said they never discuss the touchy issue with a new partner, according to a summary of the survey findings published on MSNBC.com.

The same survey also found that 15 percent of Americans had paid someone for sex, and 25 percent of those surveyed anonymously in the online poll had sex three times a week or more, while 20 percent made love fewer than twice a month.

Some 35 percent of respondents said they had been with between one and five sexual partners, while 19 percent said they had gone through more than 25 partners."

Teen Boys staying home for entertainment

BREITBART.COM - Just The News: "Teenage boys and young men lead disillusioned US movie-goers in staying away from cinemas as ticket prices rise and the quality of home entertainment soars, a new survey showed.

As Hollywood wages an epic battle against falling ticket sales, the poll revealed that one of the industry's most crucial audience groups, males aged between 13 and 24, are opting to stay home to watch DVD and play video games.

Boys and young men in the key demographic group reported watching a whopping 24 percent fewer films in the all-important summer cinema season in 2005 than they did over the same period in 2003, consumer research firm Online Testing eXchange (OTX) said."

The Veritas Forum

Click here for some good stuff.

Remarks by Student Body President Noah Riner at Convocation Sept. 20, 2005 - 09/20/05

Dartmouth News: "Character has a lot to do with sacrifice, laying our personal interests down for something bigger. The best example of this is Jesus. In the Garden of Gethsemane, just hours before his crucifixion, Jesus prayed, 'Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.' He knew the right thing to do. He knew the cost would be agonizing torture and death. He did it anyway. That's character.

Jesus is a good example of character, but He's also much more than that. He is the solution to flawed people like corrupt Dartmouth alums, looters, and me.

It's so easy to focus on the defects of others and ignore my own. But I need saving as much as they do.

Jesus' message of redemption is simple. People are imperfect, and there are consequences for our actions. He gave His life for our sin so that we wouldn't have to bear the penalty of the law; so we could see love. The problem is me; the solution is God's love: Jesus on the cross, for us.

In the words of Bono:

[I]f only we could be a bit more like Him, the world would be transformed. …When I look at the Cross of Christ, what I see up there is all my s—- and everybody else's. So I ask myself a question a lot of people have asked: Who is this man? And was He who He said He was, or was He just a religious nut? And there it is, and that's the question.

You want the best undergraduate education in the world, and you've come to the right place to get that. But there's more to college than achievement. With Martin Luther King, we must dream of a nation – and a college – where people are not judged by the superficial, 'but by the content of their character.'"

Exceptional.

One Nation Under Zod

Zod 2008 - General Zod - 2008 Presidential Candidate: "When I first came to your planet and demanded your homes, property and very lives, I didn't know you were already doing so, willingly, with your own government. I can win no tribute from a bankrupted nation populated by feeble flag-waving plebians. In 2008 I shall restore your dignity and make you servants worthy of my rule. This new government shall become a tool of my oppression. Instead of hidden agendas and waffling policies, I offer you direct candor and brutal certainty. I only ask for your tribute, your lives, and your vote.
-- General Zod
Your Future President and Eternal Ruler"

Ask General Zod

"Q. Nicholas Cage's wife, Kim, has given birth this day to a son, who they have named Kal-El Coppola Cage. This sort of insolence must not be tolerated. I caper in gleeful anticipation of seeing what punishment you inflict upon them, their offspring, and the surrounding countryside.

-- Murray Dodds

A. What kind of traitor dares such foolishness? Will anyone accept responsibility and step before Zod? This is mockery and treachery of the highest order. I dare say that I promise swift and ruthless executions of those responsible."

Late night blogging...

I'm up late trying to fix both of my computers. They both crapped out on me and I've been working on them all day (and night).

Dear Microsoft,

My voice shall be heard, crying out in this wilderness. And I will be delivered from this fetid and festering sewer.

Regards,

A Victim

Elite Conservatives have been blogged down by Miers pick...

The American Thinker: "There is also a palpable hunger for a struggle to the death with hated and verbally facile liberals like Senator Chuck Schumer. Having seen that a brilliant conservative legal thinker with impeccable elite credentials can humble the most officious voices of the Judiciary Committee, they demand a replay. Thus we hear conservatives sniffing that a Southern Methodist University legal education is just too non-Ivy League, adopting a characteristic trope of blue state elitists. We hear conservatives bemoaning a lack of judicial experience, and not a single law review article in the last decade as evidence of a second rate mind."

I think there are many on the right who feel right now, what Dan Rather felt last fall.

Who in the world does this hick from the sticks think she is? Well who were these "bloggers" from Minnesota and Atlanta taking on the almighty CBS (Oz) and Dan Rather (the Wizard).

It turns out that people know things, even if they didn't earn an Ivy League education.

I think the most interesting aspect of the Miers pick is the fact that she is from "fly over country". I think some on the right are all for the "wisdom of crowds" until one of the crowd gets promoted to elite status. Then it's fits (like the one I heard from Ann Coulter today) about how someone without a degree from the right law school couldn't be fit for the SCOTUS.

I'm sure Dan Rather still thinks that journalists can only be qualified if they earn degrees from the best journalism schools. Turns out that's not true.

I imagine the same is true of SCOTUS justices.

George Bush's greatest political sin...

Townhall.com :: Columns :: Miers is the wrong pick by George Will: "In addition, the president has forfeited his right to be trusted as a custodian of the Constitution. The forfeiture occurred March 27, 2002, when, in a private act betokening an uneasy conscience, he signed the McCain-Feingold law expanding government regulation of the timing, quantity and content of political speech. The day before the 2000 Iowa caucuses he was asked -- to insure a considered response from him, he had been told in advance he would be asked -- whether McCain-Feingold's core purposes are unconstitutional. He unhesitatingly said, ``I agree.'' Asked if he thought presidents have a duty, pursuant to their oath to defend the Constitution, to make an independent judgment about the constitutionality of bills and to veto those he thinks unconstitutional, he briskly said, ``I do.''"

Now, you know I am a fan of GWB. But this, in my book, will go down as his worst decision. Whatever you and I might think about Harriet Miers, the Constitution was undermined by Bush when he signed McCain-Feingold.

It may seem that I am unswerving in my praise for GWB. Hardly. It's just that the left (read: MSM) never critiques him with anything I can agree with. If the left would criticize Bush for McCain-Feingold, overspending, and lax border security, then I'd have something to blog with. But all you hear is how Iraq is the worst possible calamity to befall the human race since Moses was wearing short pants. Silly.

Our democracy is in trouble because we lack a serious opposition party.

In Midcareer, a Turn to Faith to Fill a Void

In Midcareer, a Turn to Faith to Fill a Void - New York Times: "But she still felt something was missing in her life, and it was after a series of long discussions - rambling conversations about family and religion and other matters that typically stretched from early evening into the night - with Nathan L. Hecht, a junior colleague at the law firm, that she made a decision that many of the people around her say changed her life.

'She decided that she wanted faith to be a bigger part of her life,' Justice Hecht, who now serves on the Texas Supreme Court, said in an interview. 'One evening she called me to her office and said she was ready to make a commitment' to accept Jesus Christ as her savior and be born again, he said. He walked down the hallway from his office to hers, and there amid the legal briefs and court papers, Ms. Miers and Justice Hecht 'prayed and talked,' he said.

She was baptized not long after that, at the Valley View Christian Church."

World Magazine Blog

World Magazine Blog: "Miers has been a member of Valley View Christian Church in Dallas for 25 years, where Hecht has been an elder. He calls it a 'conservative evangelical church... in the vernacular, fundamentalist, but the media have used that word to tar us.' He says she was on the missions committee for ten years, taught children in Sunday School, made coffee, brought donuts: 'Nothing she's asked to do in church is beneath her.' On abortion, choosing his words carefully for an on-the-record statement, he says 'her personal views are consistent with that of evangelical Christians... You can tell a lot about her from her decade of service in a conservative church.'"

Anatomy of a Photograph: MSM Bias

Anatomy of a Photograph: "The San Francisco Chronicle featured the original photograph on its front Web page in order to convey a positive message about the rally -- perhaps that even politically aware teenagers were inspired to show up and rally for peace, sporting the message, 'People of Color say 'No to War!'' And that served the Chronicle's agenda.

But this simple analysis reveals the very subtle but insidious type of bias that occurs in the media all the time. The Chronicle did not print an inaccuracy, nor did it doctor a photograph to misrepresent the facts. Instead, the Chronicle committed the sin of omission: it told you the truth, but it didn't tell you the whole truth.

Because the whole truth -- that the girl was part of a group of naive teenagers recruited by Communist activists to wear terrorist-style bandannas and carry Palestinian flags and obscene placards -- is disturbing, and doesn't conform to the narrative that the Chronicle is trying to promote. By presenting the photo out of context, and only showing the one image that suits its purpose, the Chronicle is intentionally manipulating the reader's impression of the rally, and the rally's intent. "

Click the link to see the photographic evidence of bias.

If it makes Bush look bad, it's news. Or should I say: If you can make it make Bush look bad, it's news.

Abortion vs. Black America

OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today: "In other words, whereas Bennett rejects the idea of reducing crime by aborting black babies, Levitt and Donohue argue that that is exactly what has happened over the past three decades, as a result of liberal policies. If they are right, there is, to say the least, a fundamental tension between blacks and pro-abortion feminists, two of the core components of the Democratic coalition. No wonder Bennett's comments have caused such discomfort on the left."

Princeton New Media: TigerHawk

Here's a Princeton guy, doing what the MSM refuses to.

He covers a speech by a commanding Lt. General who has just returned from Iraq.

Here are some highlights:

The festivities surrounding the 75th anniversary of Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School For Public and International Affairs continued yesterday with a speech by Lt. General David Petraeus (M.P.A. '85, Ph.D. '87). General Petraeus has recently returned from Iraq, having served as the Commander, Multi-National Security Transition Command and NATO Training Mission. Before that, he was Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division during its year in Iraq.

There are 115 Iraqi battalions in combat right now, and every single one of them has a ten man American training team. The American training team teaches the Iraqi officers how to lead and helps coordinate Coalition assistance in logistical matters and combat support. “A huge effort paying enormous dividends.”

So, what's the "bottom line up front?" Iraqi soldiers and special police are “very much in the fight,” as evidenced, “sadly,” by the casualties they have taken in combat, which are at least twice the American.

The most impressive thing about the Iraqi units is how tenacious they have become, notwithstanding early reports that they would cut and run. According to General Patraeus, since the January elections, from which the Iraqi security forces “took an enormous lift that still persists,” the Iraqi forces "have not run from a fight, they have not backed down." This strikes me, by the way, as enormously hopeful for the future of Iraq, the persistence of the counterinsurgency, and the power of democracy to motivate the fight against the war on terror.

There are 105,000 “trained and equipped” Iraqi forces through basic training and in the field under the Ministry of Interior Forces, which covers police, police commandos, highway patrol, dignitary protection, etc. These units are not “fully independent,” but they are getting there.

Ministry of Defense Forces Trained and Equipped 89,000, including the Iraqi Army, Special Operations, Air Force, Navy, and Combat Support.

“These are not people who have just walked across the stage. They are out there and in combat. For example, this number is about 12,000 fewer than the number of police trained, because some of them don’t make it.”

Soldiers are graduating every day. By the October 15 referendum on the constitution (which Patraeus predicted will pass), trained and equipped military and special police will total 200,000, and 300,000 by next summer.

The progress since the summer of 2004, when General Patraeus assumed command, has been considerable. Fifteen months ago, only six battalions of Iraqi army (less than 2,000 men) were in training, and none were "in the fight." Now, 14 battalions are in training, and 74 are operational and in the fight.

A year ago, there were no special police units. Now there are 27 battalions in the fight, and five more serving as border patrol and emergency response. These are all top-down units, none that have failed “like the homegrown Fallujah brigade.”

These units are all classified according to "readiness reports" that are very similar to those used for the American army.

Level 1 is fully independent, “capable of planning and executing operations, and sustaining itself, without coalition support.” This is a very high standard, and because it requires no coalition support in combat, whether logistical or in the form of indirect fire support. As reported this week, only one battalion operates at this level now, but the press accounts did not make clear what a difficult standard this is.

The other interesting question involved the "public relations" war. "Are we losing the PR war to the enemy? What are you doing on the marketing PR front?"

General Patraeus said that they have given the media an enormous amount of information, including countless important metrics for measuring progress, but that it is largely ignored. He observed that the enemy “On many days it is impossible to break through the steady drumbeat of sensational attacks occurring in Baghdad throughout the country. The opening of the new military academy got no coverage at all, even though it was a big event with the whole Iraqi government in attendance."

Patraeus is obviously extremely unhappy with the monomaniacal press coverage.

Sounds like quite a quagmire doesn't it?

If it doesn't make Bush look bad, it's not news.

Eric Swanson: Campus Church Network--MUST READ

Eric Swanson: Campus Church Network--MUST READ: "'THE 13/30 WINDOW'
Missiologoists have coined the term 'the 10/40 Window,' defining the geographical region 10 degrees to 40 degrees north of the Equator, an area of the globe considered by many to be the most unreached and unevangelized region of the world. But what is more crucial for us to consider is not 'the 10/40 Window' but 'the 13/30 Window.' This defines the age group of people between 13 to 30 years old, which is really the greatest harvest field in the world today. First of all, this age group is most open to the gospel. Secondly, it is the most important group because they are the future of the Church and the world. As such, when you reach the youth (who are located on campuses), you affect the future of Christianity and the whole world. Just look at the facts according to the UN Population Division and the Population Reference Bureau (2000):


--60 percent of the whole world are aged 24 and under.
--30 percent (or 1.7 billion) are aged between 10 to 24 years old. This age group is the greatest harvest field because they are the most likely to become followers of Christ.

Surveys say, 90% of all people become Christians before the age of 25. (Barna Research) But who is going to reach them? 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.' Matthew 9:37-38"

Hysteria Driven Media, Lies, and Videotape = More Lies and Hysteria

Online NewsHour: Looking at Media Coverage of Hurricane Katrina -- September 29, 2005: "JEFFREY BROWN: And, Mr. Hewitt, same question, what did you like and what did you dislike?

HUGH HEWITT: Well, Keith just said they did not report an ordinary story; in fact they were reporting lies. The central part of this story, what went on at the convention center and the Superdome was wrong. American media threw everything they had at this story, all the bureaus, all the networks, all the newspapers, everything went to New Orleans, and yet they could not get inside the convention center, they could not get inside the Superdome to dispel the lurid, the hysterical, the salaciousness of the reporting.

Hugh Hewitt: I have in mind especially the throat-slashed seven-year-old girl who had been gang-raped at the convention center -- didn't happen. In fact, there were no rapes at the convention center or the Superdome that have yet been corroborated in any way.

There weren't stacks of bodies in the freezer. But America was riveted by this reporting, wholesale collapse of the media's own levees they let in all the rumors, and all the innuendo, all the first-person story because they were caught up in this own emotionalism. Exactly what Keith was praising I think led to one of the worst weeks of reporting in the history of American media, and it raises this question: If all of that amount of resources was given over to this story and they got it wrong, how can we trust American media in a place far away like Iraq where they don't speak the language, where there is an insurgency, and I think the question comes back we really can't."

This is why I don't watch television news. It takes weeks to read and listen to diverse accounts and sort through the lies to figure out what really happened. Usually if it's reported in the LA Times or the NY Times you have to use the same caution.

Don't Say These Words at Bucknell

Brain-Terminal.com: "Two words. At Bucknell University, that's all it takes to get dragged into the President's Office for a half-hour discussion of word choice. And these aren't offensive words, at least not out here in the real world. But Bucknell apparently has a different definition of what is and is not acceptable.

On August 29th, the Bucknell University Conservatives Club sent out a campus-wide e-mail announcing an upcoming speaker: Major John Krenson, who had been in Afghanistan 'hunting terrorists.' Those two words--'hunting terrorists'--resulted in three students being called to Bucknell's Office of the President by Kathy Owens, the Executive Assistant to the President.

According to the students, when they arrived at the President's Office for the meeting, Ms. Owens held up a print-out of the offending e-mail and said 'we have a problem here,' telling the students that the words 'hunting terrorists' were offensive. For the next half-hour, the three students were given a lecture on inappropriate phrasing.

(When contacted, Ms. Owens did acknowledge that the meeting took place, but refused to answer any questions about what transpired. She did not deny the account of the students.)

Last year, while collecting footage for my upcoming film Indoctrinate U, I noticed that the campus was plastered with flyers that screamed 'vagina' in large block letters. Although some people might find these flyers offensive, it is protected speech at Bucknell--as it should be--but apparently the phrase 'hunting terrorists' is not.

(Perhaps someone should remind Bucknell's administrators that the American soldiers who are 'hunting terrorists' are fighting the very sort of misogynistic thugs who would gladly stone a woman to death for talking about her vagina in public.)"

Gateway Pundit/Hurricane Katrina: Folklore vs. Fact

Gateway Pundit:

"Folklore: The federal government was slow to respond.

Fact: 'The federal government pretty much met its standard time lines, but the volume of support provided during the 72-96 hour was unprecedented. The federal response here was faster than Hugo, faster than Andrew, faster than Iniki, faster than Francine and Jeanne.'

For instance, it took five days for National Guard troops to arrive in strength on the scene in Homestead, Fla. after Hurricane Andrew hit in 2002. But after Katrina, there was a significant National Guard presence in the afflicted region in three."

Back when this all happened, my friend Andy asked if I thought the Bush Administration response was "just a little" slow.

My answer: "compared to what"

Now we know.

Click the link for much more that you can't learn from watching television news.

USATODAY.com - Sheehan calls McCain 'warmonger' after meeting

USATODAY.com - Sheehan calls McCain 'warmonger' after meeting: "Peace mom Cindy Sheehan didn't change her opposition to the war in Iraq after meeting Tuesday with one of its supporters, Sen. John McCain, a Vietnam veteran whom she called 'a warmonger.'"

Being tortured as a POW would make anyone a "warmonger", right Cindy?

Rich Bledsoe's Blog - A Visit To Orthodoxy

Entry for September 28, 2005 A Visit To Orthodoxy: "So oddly, Biblical miracles (as opposed to pagan magic) and science are twin brothers with the same patrimony, and they came from the same household. Originally they were not enemies or rivals of one another, but actually implied each other."

Imagine your pastor uttering such things during his Sunday morning sermon. Rich, chewy goodness. I'm going to miss your preaching Rich.

Peter Jackson: a fraction of his former self

If you haven't seen him lately, Peter Jackson has lost 70 pounds and his glasses. Click the link to see pictures of a man you won't recognize.
Wired 13.10: Return of the King: "Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong hits the big screen in December. But for the last year, he's been giving eager fans a behind-the-scenes look at the world he built for the big ape. Posted while the cameras were still rolling, these extraordinary online diaries break every closed-set taboo in Hollywood."

Katrina Takes a Toll on Truth, News Accuracy - Los Angeles Times

Katrina Takes a Toll on Truth, News Accuracy - Los Angeles Times: "'It just morphed into this mythical place where the most unthinkable deeds were being done,' Bush said Monday of the Superdome.

His assessment is one of several in recent days to conclude that newspapers and television exaggerated criminal behavior in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, particularly at the overcrowded Superdome and Convention Center.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune on Monday described inflated body counts, unverified 'rapes,' and unconfirmed sniper attacks as among examples of 'scores of myths about the dome and Convention Center treated as fact by evacuees, the media and even some of New Orleans' top officials.'"

That's not GWBush. You know it's bad if LA Times can figure it out.

Democrats lied, almost nobody died

NOLA.com: T-P Orleans Parish Breaking News Weblog: "In many cases, authorities gave credibility to portraits of violence broadcast around the world.

Compass told Winfrey on Sept. 6 that "some of the little babies (are) getting raped" in the Dome. Nagin backed it with his own tale of horrors: ''They have people standing out there, have been in that frickin' Superdome for five days watching dead bodies, watching hooligans killing people, raping people.''

But both men have since pulled back to a degree.

"The information I had at the time, I thought it was credible," Compass said, conceding his earlier statements were false. Asked for the source of the information, Compass said he didn't remember.

Nagin frankly acknowledged that he doesn't know the extent of the mayhem that occurred inside the Dome and the Convention Center - and may never.

"I'm having a hard time getting a good body count," he said.

Compass said rumors had often crippled authorities' response to reported lawlessness, sending badly needed resources to respond to situations that turned out not to exist. He offered his own intensely personal example: The day after the storm, he heard "some civilians" talking about how a band of armed thugs had invaded the Ritz-Carlton hotel and started raping women - including his 24-year-old daughter, who stayed there through the storm. He rushed to the scene only to find that although a group of men had tried to enter the hotel, they weren't armed and were easily turned back by police.

Compass, however, promulgated some of the unfounded rumors himself, in interviews in which he characterized himself and his officers as outgunned warriors taking out armed bands of thugs at every turn.

"People would be shooting at us, and we couldn't shoot back because of the families," Compass told a reporter from the (Bridgeport) Connecticut Post who interviewed him at the Saints' Monday Night Football game in New York, where he was the guest of NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. "All we could do is rush toward the flash."

Compass added that he and his officers succeeded in wrestling 30 weapons from criminals using the follow-the-muzzle-flash technique, the story said.

"We got 30 that way," Compass was quoted as saying.

Asked about the muzzle-flash story last week, Compass said, "That really happened" to Winn's SWAT team at the Convention Center.

But Winn, when asked about alleged shootouts in a separate interview, said his unit saw muzzle flashes and heard gunshots only one time. Despite aggressively frisking a number of suspects, the team recovered no weapons. His unit never found anyone who had been shot."

More Horrible Than Truth: News Reports

MediaChannel.org: "But the media's willingness to report thinly attributed rumors may also have contributed to a kind of cultural wreckage that will not clean up easily.

First, anyone with any knowledge of the events in New Orleans knows that terrible things with non-natural causes occurred: there were assaults, shots fired at a rescue helicopter and, given the state of the city's police department, many other crimes that probably went unreported.

But many instances in the lurid libretto of widespread murder, carjacking, rape, and assaults that filled the airwaves and newspapers have yet to be established or proved, as far as anyone can determine. And many of the urban legends that sprang up - the systematic rape of children, the slitting of a 7-year-old's throat - so far seem to be just that."

Read the whole thing. The Truth will set you free.

EU Rota: EU Environmentalism: A Reminder

EU Rota: EU Environmentalism: A Reminder: "Their mantra, of course, globalwarmingglobalwarming, theskyisfallingtheskyisfalling, thishasneverhappenedbeforethishasneverhappenedbefore. Rinse and repeat ad nauseam. Maybe they can work Halliburton in this time since Houston seems to be the destination.

Going back to 1851, what does the actual data from NOAA say:

Click here to see the data.

Centerfield Productions: Shame vs. Guilt

Centerfield Productions > Ideas: "In the West it seems we are in transition. We are moving away from being a guilt-based culture, towards a shame-based culture. Because of that transition, many of our students have grown up experiencing shame more than guilt, but they’ve done so in a country where the Christian community’s expertise lies in dealing with guilt more than shame. Which probably means that to many of them, and maybe to many of our staff as well, the offer of the gospel has not sounded as sweet as it actually is."

The Opposite of Pornography

Telegraph | News | Women bypass sex in favour of 'instant pregnancies': "Women are increasingly seeking inappropriate IVF treatment because they do not have the time or inclination for a sex life and want to 'diarise' their busy lives.

Wealthy career women in their 30s and early 40s, some of whom have given up regular sex altogether, are turning to 'medicalised conception' - despite being fertile and long before they have exhausted the possibility of a natural conception."

All the responsibility, none of the gratification.

Looking the other way

John Leo: "Sheehan, before and after her arrival in Texas, said a great many colorful things that failed to interest mainstream reporters. Some of her acid comments registered with the public mostly because of George Will’s powerful column of August 25 and his similar comments on the Sunday ABC TV news show This Week. A few made it on to cable news. Others simply failed to make it into the mainstream media. It’s worth reviewing what she said: The neocons deliberately allowed the terrorist attacks of 9/11. American soldiers are “being sent to kill innocent people” in Iraq. Her son, Casey Sheehan, “died for oil” and was “murdered” by President Bush. The United States is “not worth dying for.” The president, who “stole the election,” is part of the “Bush crime family,” a “lying bastard,” a “führer,” a “filth spewer,” “the biggest terrorist in the world,” and an “evil maniac” who is guilty of “blatant genocide.” Sheehan also compared Lynne Stewart, the radical lawyer convicted of aiding terrorists, to Atticus Finch, the heroic lawyer who battled racism in the book and movie To Kill a Mockingbird. She has been accused of making vaguely anti-Semitic remarks, but she attributes those remarks to her political opponents. On Hardball, she said the American attack in Afghanistan was “almost the same thing” (i.e., just as evil) as the invasion of Iraq."

With the tragedy of hurricanes in the news, the media has forgotten about Cindy Sheehan. But even before the hurricanes, the media helped American forget who Cindy really is.

Why not just tell it like it is. Cindy Sheehan is not afraid to say it, don't be afraid to print it.

Video Game U

Wired News: A Generation of Game Boys, Girls: "More and more, video game-related courses are being offered in colleges around the country in response to the digital media industry's appetite for skilled workers and the tastes of a new generation of students raised on Game Boy and Xbox."

I have always told students that playing video games wouldn't get them anywhere. Well shut my mouth.

At least it's better than "gender studies".

Evangelicals and Mormon's Together?

deseretnews.com | Evangelical preaches at Salt Lake Tabernacle: "With Evangelicals and Latter-day Saints sitting together in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for an 'Evening of Friendship,' internationally renowned Christian philosopher Ravi Zacharias told them Sunday night that Jesus Christ's unique claim upon humanity is that he embodied truth and sacrificed himself for a world that often does not recognize him.
But what many Utahns may remember most distinctly is the sermon that came before it.
Taking the pulpit to speak of the event's historic nature, Fuller Theological Seminary President Richard Mouw addressed a capacity crowd of several thousand, offering a stunningly candid apology to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and noting that 'friendship has not come easily between our communities.' He dubbed the evening 'historic' and apologized that Evangelicals 'have often misrepresented the faith and beliefs of the Latter-day Saints.'
'Let me state it clearly. We evangelicals have sinned against you,' he said, adding both camps have tended to marginalize and simplify the others' beliefs.
Historical animosity dating back to the founding of the LDS Church by Joseph Smith in 1830 has heightened in recent years between the two groups, particularly in the 1990s, when several high-profile evangelical leaders asserted that 'Mormons are not Christians.'
Mouw noted the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith's birthday next December and several scholarly events planned to celebrate during the coming year. 'I hope many in the evangelical community will take part in those events,' he said."

Rita, we hardly knew ya...

Any hurricane where the lights don't go out, isn't too bad.

We met all day today and didn't even notice a hurricane.

Thank the Lord.

We're outta here..

Well,
It looks like we're leaving the Florida Keys.

Run for high ground!

I think we're headed for Miami.

Run for your lives! - Duck Key, FL

Well, it's been a busy week and there's been no time for blogging.

Now for an exciting update:

I arrived at a conference today. I'm in Duck Key, FL which as you might guess if you click on the link, is in the path of

HURRICANE RITA!

I'll let you know how it all turns out.

My Pastor's Blog

http://360.yahoo.com/revbledsoe

Enjoy.

The Source: Interviews

The Source: Interviews: "So let's talk briefly about your career in Hollywood. You're a Hollywood writer and director whose prior films that you worked on are NOT Chariots of Fire, or even Herbie or Winn Dixie ... they're Hellraiser: Inferno, one of the Urban Legends films, and now The Exorcism of Emily Rose. So ... are Christian's boycotting you yet? Are you from the spawn of 'Teletubbies' as far as Falwell is concerned? How are Christian's reacting to you?

SCOTT: Well, I think early on in my career I created quite a bit of head scratching amongst Christians because I think there was an assumption that if a Christian was going to work in this industry it would be to promote family friendly entertainment, that sort of thing.

JONATHAN: Sure, I could see that being an expectation.

SCOTT: But I think that it's not hard for a lot of young Christians to understand why a Christian should be making genre movies. And the horror genre not only being an acceptable genre but the best genre for a Christian to be involved in because it is such a great genre for dealing with spiritual ideas."

What would Pastor Inqvist say?

This is for my Dad.
Instapundit.com -: "A PRAIRIE HO' COMPANION: Garrison Keillor threatens to sue blogger for parody? I never thought Keillor had much of a sense of humor."

"Longtime Democrat" Congressman Used National Guard to Visit Home

Headlines we'd like to read. This sounds like something a rich, selfish Republican would do. Go figure.
ABC News: Amid Katrina Chaos, Congressman Used National Guard to Visit Home: "Sept. 13, 3005 — Amid the chaos and confusion that engulfed New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck, a congressman used National Guard troops to check on his property and rescue his personal belongings — even while New Orleans residents were trying to get rescued from rooftops, ABC News has learned.

On Sept. 2 — five days after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast — Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., who represents New Orleans and is a senior member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, was allowed through the military blockades set up around the city"

In Search of the Spiritual - Newsweek Society - MSNBC.com

In case you missed this, it's an interesting article.

In Search of the Spiritual - Newsweek Society - MSNBC.com:

Move over, politics. Americans are looking for personal, ecstatic experiences of God, and, according to our poll, they don't much care what the neighbors are doing.

Blacks fault lack of local leadership

Blacks fault lack of local leadership - Nation/Politics - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper: "Some in the black community are beginning to question what happened to the black leadership during the Hurricane Katrina disaster, especially in the city of New Orleans.
While a few black leaders, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton and the Congressional Black Caucus, have singled out the president for blame, others say Mayor C. Ray Nagin, who is black, is responsible for the dismal response to the flooding that stranded thousands in the city's poorest sections.
'Mayor Nagin has blamed everyone else except himself,' said the Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, founder and president of the Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny.
'The mayor failed in his duty to evacuate and protect the people of New Orleans. ... The truth is, black people died not because of President Bush or racism, they died because of their unhealthy dependence on the government and the incompetence of Mayor Ray Nagin and Governor Kathleen Blanco,' he said. "

Doh! or should I say Dough!

Report rates Boston most expensive city - The Boston Globe: "Propelled largely by high housing costs, Boston is now the most expensive metropolitan area in the country, outpacing Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and even New York City, according to a report that will be released today."

Helping victims of Katrina

Regarding Hurricane Katrina there are a few outreaches in the works that you should know about and that you may want to respond to:

Campus Ministry

Five teams of students volunteered this weekend in Long Beach , Miss. , and Slidell , La. They cleaned food warehouses, sorting food and clothing, clearing mud out of flooded homes, cleaning debris from yards, distributing Bibles, and baby-sitting. The Campus Ministry will be coordinating more service projects like this beginning next weekend, Sept. 16-18. You don't need to be a student to participate. For more information, please visit www.campuscrusadeforchrist.com/katrina .

Evacuee Relocation Church Partnership

Paul Eshleman is coordinating a partnership of several ministries seeking to relocate over 40,000 evacuees. This program is being coordinated with local churches across the country who will house people and help them get back on their feet. There's a huge need for churches of all sizes anywhere in the country, but especially from the Atlanta and Dallas areas as well as those from the state of Tennessee . Please consider asking your church to look into this opportunity. For more information call 877.964.4673 (HOPE) or visit www.foundationforhope.com and click the “sponsor now” tab at the top.

In addition to these, many other ministries including the Military Ministry, Priority Associates, Here's Life Inner City and GAiN are all onsite or headed there in the near future. Please continue to pray for those coordinating and participating in these service projects. You can visit www.ccci.org for all of these updates and more.

Disk bogged Blog

I haven't blogged much in days. I've been swamped with stuff and it took me several days to replace the internal hard drive on my laptop.

But, at long last, I did it.

Katrina Reveals Gas Price Folly

Reason Foundation Commentary: "A new oil refinery has not been built in the United States since 1976. During that time, our gasoline use has increased over 25 percent. The nation's 149 existing refineries have been running at maximum capacity trying to meet record demand and, as a result, not only do we import oil, we actually have to import 10 percent of our daily gasoline from refineries overseas.

So when Hurricane Katrina or a refinery fire or anything else causes even just a few refineries to shut down for awhile, there is absolutely no excess capacity nationwide to make up the difference, and prices at the pump skyrocket.

For the wealthiest, most powerful nation in the world this is a ridiculous situation that will only get worse as our insatiable demand for gasoline keeps growing and refinery capacity falls further behind in the coming years.

Just a few new refineries would alleviate the problem and help keep our gas prices lower and steadier.

But getting an oil refinery built is next to impossible, hence the 30-year construction drought. There will always be environmental activists who fight any new proposed refinery, regardless of where it might be located and how environmentally safe it is. And our environmental rules give them the upper hand.

The environmental impact-report process mobilizes the "not in my back yard" elements to oppose any proposed refinery, but it does not mobilize people or groups who are looking at national energy needs. You wind up with a very lopsided discussion where potential problems are thoroughly and perhaps overly represented, but the only group pointing out the benefits of the refinery is the "evil" oil company asking to build it - even though every automobile driver would benefit.

Consider the example of Arizona Clean Fuels, which has been trying to build a small refinery outside Yuma for almost 10 years. It took five years just to get air-quality permits. Now they hope to be operational in 2010, 15 years after they started the project. "

You rang sir?

Paging Mr. Butterhead

Hope in the midst of despair...

My Way News: "In the last week, Joseph Brant lost his apartment, walked by scores of dead in the streets, traversed pools of toxic water and endured an arduous journey to escape the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in his hometown New Orleans.

On Sunday, he was praising the Lord, saying the ordeal was a test that ended up dispelling his lifelong distrust of white people and setting his life on a new course. He said he hitched a ride on Friday in a van driven by a group of white folks.

'Before this whole thing I had a complex about white people; this thing changed me forever,' said Brant, 36, a truck driver who, like many of the refugees receiving public assistance in Houston, Texas, is black."

CCC mobilizes to help victims of Katrina

Campus Crusade for Christ, one of the world’s largest interdenominational Christian organizations, mobilizes to help Gulf Coast victims of Hurricane Katrina.

ORLANDO, FL, September 2, 2005 – Campus Crusade for Christ International is mobilizing for the largest and longest relief and recovery effort in its history in response to the devastation and human suffering left in Hurricane Katrina’s wake.

“Our hearts go out to those who have lost family and friends, and whose lives have been devastated by this event,” says Mark Gauthier, National Director of the U.S. Campus Ministry of Campus Crusade. “This is a time to be in prayer for those families, that God would comfort them and meet them in their hour of need. And, this is also a time that we as a ministry can demonstrate the compassion of Christ toward those who are hurting.”

Several ministry divisions of Campus Crusade are working to coordinate immediate relief efforts while planning long-term recovery projects. Global Aid Network (GAiN) usually organizes international relief efforts. Now they are working on their home turf. GAiN is already shipping 10,000 personal care kits to the disaster zone. Similar to kits used in military deployments, each kit contains 3 bottles or water, 3 high-energy food bars, and special waterless wipes or so called bath-in-a-bag for 2 days of bathing.

The U.S. Campus Ministry of Campus Crusade is preparing to send hundreds and even thousands of college students to the disaster zones and evacuation centers to help provide the manpower for both immediate relief and longer recovery efforts.

One evacuation center already houses more than 900 refugees. Campus Crusade will provide mature students who can listen to refugees who have lost everything. “They just need someone to put their arms around them and love them,” said one evacuation center worker. In a few days, more than 200 children housed in the camp will need people to play with them, teach them and give them hope.

“In the face of so much suffering, I’m thrilled by the generous, co-operative spirit of so many who want to help,” says Jim Topmiller, National Director of Development for the U.S. Campus Ministry. “Students are getting ready to go. We’re partnering with churches, denominations and Christian relief agencies. Corporate partners and thousands of individual donors are all asking, ‘How can we help?’” Campus Crusade has set up a website where people can give at http://give2.ccci.org/featured/hurricanekatrina/.

Founded in 1951, Campus Crusade for Christ International has 60 ministry divisions or projects working with all levels of society. As one of the largest interdenominational organizations in the world, Campus Crusade has 27,000 full-time staff serving in 190 countries. Campus Crusade for Christ is a charter member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

See www.campuscrusadeforchrist.com/newsroom for more information.
Contributions may be given on line through http://give2.ccci.org/featured/hurricanekatrina/

And the winner is... the crowd

This is interesting. It's why millions of blogs are smarter than the relatively few mainstream media outlets:

And the actual number of M&M's in the jar is: 2,166. We had them actually counted by two people two times each!

David Robbins of Campus Ministry guessed 2,168. So did Doug Kennedy of NAMESTAN AOA Office. This left us with an unexpected need for two iPods.

Because David was the first with the closest guess, we have sent him the iPod. But we couldnÂ’t ignore Doug who also guessed the same number, 2 days later. So we have sent Doug an iPod Mini.

Some other interesting information

Total number of guesses: 1,166
Low guess: 132
High guess: 135,000
Correct answer: 2,166 M&Ms (counted twice by two people)
Average of all guesses: 2,328
Average was within 7% of correct amount, even with huge variations in the guess

The average was more accurate than 93% of all the people who guessed.

The wisdom of the crowd

There is an important principle at work here. All of us together are smarter than most of us individually. This is the body concept at work.

Do you remember the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? television show. Remember there were some ways to get help when a contestant was really stumped. One way was to call one of five people they had designated as experts in particular fields and ask them for the right answer.

Another way was to poll the studio audience who voted for what each member thought was the right answer.

Over the course of the years, the "experts" offered the right answer 65 percent of the time. That's pretty good, especially under pressure.

However, the "experts" wisdom could not compare with the wisdom of the studio crowd. These audience members picked the right answer 91% of the time.

In his book The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter than the Few, author James Surowiecki documents examples. He says, "On problems ranging from the simple to the very complex, groups are able to offer collectively smart answers even when most of the people within them are not exceptionally well-informed."

Our M&M's-in-a-jar was a repeat of a familiar beans-in-a-jar contest. Our contest had very similar results, with the average being better than 93% of all the other guesses.

Eric's thoughts on the Katrina Disaster

Speaking of Eric Swanson, read his thoughts how how Christians can and should respond to disasters like Katrina.