December 2010
15 posts
Mandatory viewing
Every American ought to see the documentary film Restrepo, which focuses on a group of American soldiers serving in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan — described by one officer as the most dangerous zone on the planet — in 2007.
The filmmakers, author Sebastian Junger and war photographer Tim Hetherington, were embedded with the military unit and present an unbiased and unflinching...
A Christmas reflection
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. I hope Santa Claus brought you everything you wanted, and then some. I hope you got to spend the holiday with family and friends and loved ones. I hope you had plenty of turkey, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes, kielbasa, and the like.
I know I did, and I feel so blessed. I appreciated it more than ever this year after spending a few hours on Christmas morning...
In honor of Tiny Tim (the musician, not the...
“The Beatles Complete On Ukulele hold this truth to be self-evident: The world would be a nicer place if every citizen spent “a little bit of time” playing The Ukulele.”
THE BEATLES COMPLETE ON UKULELE TO RELEASE THREE MORE SONGS OVER THE HOLIDAYS
New York, NY – (December 21, 2010) – Over the Christmas holiday, THE BEATLES COMPLETE ON UKULELE (TBCOU) will release the following free...
What's the opposite of literary genius?
Autobiography of the Least Interesting Man in America: According to a Seattle Times feature in March (1996), Robert Shields, 77 (since deceased), of Dayton, Wash., was the author of perhaps the longest personal diary in history — nearly 38 million words on paper stored in 81 cardboard boxes — covering the previous 24 years in five-minute increments. Example: July 25, 1993, 7 a.m.:...
Rockin' with Sir Paul
I finally watched all of Sir Paul McCartney’s performances on Saturday Night Live from last Saturday night (thanks to the magic of DVR, I skipped all the skits — the show’s humor just can’t compare to its glory days).
McCartney looked great — can you believe he’s 68 — and his band was excellent. Paul is still the consummate showman and his repertoire is...
From cinema to sermons
Free Toby Mac tune
I got an email from ForeFront Records saying Toby Mac’s Christmas single, “Christmas This Year,” featuring Leigh Nash, is available as a free download on iTunes through Monday, Dec. 20.
Here is a link.
I can’t check it out on my work computer because you need to install iTunes first, but any iTune savvy Toby fans should be able to find it.
Whether he’s going by...
5 Degrees of Fun
The temperature dropped to 5 degrees last night — just kidding about the “fun” part. It’s pretty serious weather, the kind you just bundle up and hurry from house to car to office and back again, with maybe a quick trip to the store or Starbucks in between.
I did take my dogs out for a walk yesterday, but it was only for about 20 minutes. Usually we go a lot longer than...
WatchMultiple flocks of Canada geese were flying overhead today, heading NORTH, in mid-December. Anyone have an explanation?
Historian's harsh words
I have been on a kick lately, reading history books about Christianity in the dark and middle ages. One of the most respected and best-selling authors writing about this period is Thomas Cahill, and I recently finished his book Mysteries of the Middles Ages: The Rise of Feminism, Science, and Art from the Cults of Catholic Europe (2006, Doubleday).
The book is chock-full of fascinating insights...
Disoriented geese and twisted eagles
True or false: Myomancing (v) — Fortune-telling by watching the movements of mice.
Turns out to be true, at least according to the game Balderdash. We had a very nice extended family Christmas dinner with 2 of our 3 daughters, 2 sons-in-law, and the sons-in-laws’ parents (missed you Lisa & Adam!). Afterwards, some Wixey Bakery goodies and a game of Balderdash. It’s fun...
I love you, man
At Strawberry Fields, in Central Park, NYC.
I have a good friend who is an excellent jazz musician but he just doesn’t get it. He thinks the Beatles’ music is way too simple and easy to play. He scoffs at “Twist and Shout” and “Love Me Do” as sophomoric pop ditties that any moron could play.
He may be right about those early Beatles songs, but the...
Everything in context
I was reading the Old Testament book of Jeremiah recently when I came across this familiar passage:
‘“For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all...
Creation Museum floats a new project
The governor of Kentucky has endorsed a new $150 million park called the Ark Encounter, featuring a full-scale version of Noah’s Ark, to be built on an 800-acre site in northern Kentucky, near Cincinnati.
The Ark Encounter will be partnering with Answers in Genesis, the group that built the Creation Museum.
At least newspapers held steady...
Although scoring just 25 percent on the public’s “high level of confidence” list isn’t much to be proud of, at least we’re ahead of TV news and far above the ranking for Congress.
This list doesn’t include used-car salesmen or drug dealers, so we can only wonder….