Global Warming Jumps the Shark
It’s official: we can’t take these crazy people serious anymore.
The Seven Deadly Sins of Kid Culture
This guy has a pretty interesting article on what he considers “the worst of children’s entertainment.” With the exception of his take on Clifford, I think he’s pretty spot on.
Oddly enough, I’ve been thinking along the same lines as this author with regard to Clifford and shame — minus Clifford, which we love, by the way. 🙂 I’ve been kicking around the idea that we’ve given shame a bad rap — that we’ve become so concerned with self-esteem that we’ve given up on a very powerful form of negative reinforcement (a method of teaching that is probably the origins of shame’s current predicament). I don’t think we need to be wielding shame like a hammer or putting giant scarlet letters around people’s necks, but it seems that sometimes we rush too quickly past any sense of shock and horror when confronted with some sort of grievous failing, whether in others or ourselves. I would think that if we let shame, even if just a little bit, settle on us (and especially on ourselves, as we should all “tend our own gardens” first), that repeats of the action in question would be much less likely. I think. I still haven’t made my mind up on that. In the vague and never fulfilled final words of a Matt Drudge story, “Developing…”
Update: Here is an interesting piece on this very topic. (hat tip: Brian)
Drawing God
A kindergarten teacher was walking around observing her classroom of children while they were drawing pictures. As she got to one girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.
The girl replied, “I’m drawing God.”
The teacher paused and said, “But no one knows what God looks like.”
Without looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, “They will in a minute.”
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
Knowing my love of history in general and Church history in particular, my incredibly awesome wife got me Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. Since I almost always have at least one book going, I’m just now getting around to reading it. I’m only 40 pages or so into the book, but to say that it has been challenging doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. …
Happy Birthday to Me!
I turn 20 years old today, spiritually. It was on this day 20 years ago, at a sweltering Falls Creek service, that I tapped my Dad on the arm and asked him to go down to the front with me, where I put to rest the question of my standing with the Lord. It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years (and that there’s an event I can rememeber from that long ago. I’m getting old! :). I’ve grown a lot, I think (and hope), over the past two decades, but each passing day makes it that much clearer that I still have so much more room for growth. I know I won’t ever “[lay] hold of it” in this life, but, with the Spirit’s help, I’m trying to get as close as I can. 🙂
That’s it. Have a good day. 😛
Live Earth: Dead on Arrival
I love Jonah Goldberg’s writing, and this article on the waste of time that Live Earth was (and is) was really great:
- Actually, I think the “Hokey Pokey” makes more sense.
- Moreover, surely most of the people who attended or tuned in already knew about global warming before they saw the video tutorial about Ed Begley Jr.’s eco-friendly home and sanctimony-powered go-cart.
- One could say Live Earth is proof that global warming has jumped the shark, except for the fact that the phrase “jumped the shark” has jumped the shark.
- Some argue that environmentalism has become a secular religion. Buying carbon offsets, they say, is the modern equivalent of purchasing indulgences for your sins from the Catholic Church
- But more likely, these were simply concerts by and for people who need to salt their sanctimony with platitudes about raising awareness.
- Now global warming is a brilliant way to market aging rockers too rich and famous to pass as rebels against anything save their refusal to retire with some dignity.
Good stuff.
Gotta Love British Humor
I’ve long been a fan of British humor and find it pretty refreshing that even after the crazies attack, they haven’t lost that great dry wit. Some of my favorite highlights are:
- “The fact that some of the people involved in the recent unfortunate events may have been doctors is totally coincidental, just as if they had been accountants, plumbers, or random members of a deranged apocalyptic religious cult.”
- [Prime Minister Gordon] Brown said further government communications would prohibit the use of certain prejudicial words like “doctor,” “Vauxhall,” “podiatrist,” “propane,” “Asia,””drive,” “ticking noises,” “panic,” and “the.”
- “We are asking for vigilance, not vigilantes,” said Jameson. “After reporting alleged activities, the public should wait for the professionals, who have the necessary multicultural training and snappy reflective uniforms to prevent and/or clean up afterwards.”
- “As we saw recently in Glasgow, if a well-meaning but untrained citizen steps in and tries to stop a diverse person of activity by kicking him or her in the testicles, he or she could suffer a painful tendon injury.”
Good stuff!
A Somber Warning
This story, Pool Drain Pulls Small Intestine Out Of Young Girl, is a bit graphic, but a warning I felt should be passed on. Poor little girl. 🙁
Feed me, Seymour!
I have recently started using Google Reader as my RSS reader. If you’re not, you should check it out; it’s really quite nice. And Ajaxy. At any rate, Google Reader lets you share items on your feed in your own feed, which you can share with others. If you’d like to see my shared items, you can do so here. There’s an RSS feed available from that link should you like to add my shared items to your feed. 🙂 Enjoy! Or not. 😉
Just say Noah
This guy doesn’t like Evan Almighty. Based on what I saw in the original, I’m not too sure I’ll like it much, either.