if you are tired of checking the stock index...

check out the rapture index. This is a group of folks that find it edifying and generally helpful to index about 45 categories from "unemployment" to "apostasy" to "moral standards" to even "beast governments." If you cared to know, the rapture index today (Nov. 30) is 154. The record high is 182--that was sept. 21 of 2001. Also, they have a list of current potential antichrists if you cared to know--dont look if you are fans of prince william or bill gates.

never thought theologians could be so hip

What does napster and Vern Poythress have in common? Read this article on intellectual property to find out.

here's one way to get more press

From an article in The Australian:

"ONE of the greatest living US writers has praised terrorists as 'very brave people' and used drug culture slang to describe the "amazing high" suicide bombers must feel before blowing themselves up. Kurt Vonnegut, author of the 1969 anti-war classic Slaughterhouse Five, made the provocative remarks during an interview in New York for his new book, Man Without a Country, a collection of writings critical of US President George W. Bush...in discussing his views with The Weekend Australian, Vonnegut said it was 'sweet and honourable' to die for what you believe in, and rejected the idea that terrorists were motivated by twisted religious beliefs. Vonnegut suggested suicide bombers must feel an "amazing high". He said: 'You would know death is going to be painless, so the anticipation - it must be an amazing high.'"

concert poster of the day

minor threat

this man may ruin your life

wendell

Mere books?

Here is a really interesting list of books that have most influenced the influencial people in our world. And with it, I pose a question: what is the watershed book in your life thus far?

Pat's prophecy

Voters from Dover Pennsylvania have effectively voted God out of their city. It's true, Pat Robertson on 700 club said so: "I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city, and don't wonder why He hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I'm not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that's the case, don't ask for His help because he might not be there."

concert poster of the day

The Frames

to wield the sword of copyright

chuck d.

Here is an article worth skimming. NAS (national academy of sciences) and NSTA (national science teachers association) plan to withold copyright permission for their science education standards manual to the Kansas Board of Education because they [kansas board of edu] flirt with the 'dreaded' idea that darwinism might be just as theoretical as intelligent design--and therefore worthy of discussion in the public classroom.
Apparently, certain folks (i wont categorize) get irrate when companies and groups limit their copyright as a weapon for their self-interest (as they should!). So here is the test: will these folks (no categories) get equally irrate, or strangly silent in this scenario?
This article is surprisingly even! Here is a pro-evolution lawyer that recognizes humbly that to remain silent in this case would be hypocritical.

how to torch a peugeot

'unhappy' happy torcher

My dad is good friends with the CEO of this car company, so I hope he doesn't read my blog anytime soon. Well, in case you were wondering how the French do it so well, here it is. Apparently, even before this riot situation, France reports around 80 car-torching a day. hmmm.

(scratching head; confused but amused)

This is worth reading. (after reading the first couple paragraphs, note the blog's subtitle.)

the medium becomes the message

milton

Mark up one more for good Christian literature turned film. I discovered this morning that Milton's Paradise Lost is going to be adapted into a film. A now-popular media discourse phrase from Marshall McLuhan comes to mind, "the medium is the message." (incidently, mcluhan also coined the word "the media," and "global village.") Basically, he argued that media is an extension from mankind, and that for all of time, man has been obsessed with extention. shovels are extentions of our hands. Cars are an extention of our feet. Mobile phones are extentions of our voices. I guess it is fair to say that books are extentions of the eyes, as they allow us to "see" so many other things outside of what our retinas allow right now. Film might seem obvious now--it is an over-extension of the eyes.
As early as the 60s McLuhan warned us about overextension. With over-extension comes amputation: we always lose something fundamental about our humanity with extention. Media advances but also severs.
So I ask broadly: what from our humanity is severed as a result of film? And I ask specifically: what is severed when we "watch" Paradise Lost instead of read it? And then I ask: how does Christian literature lose out when depicted on film? What is it about Christianity being a religion of the Word?

what is safety?

Christians around the world are one body. All of my individualistic tendencies want to run away from that fact. We should rejoice when others are rejoicing, we should mourn when others are mourning--all across the globe. When we read articles like this we should mourn. we live in a location on this fallen earth that allows us to crack open our Bibles at a coffee shops and walk into church buildings without any fear that one of our fellow worshipper's head is lying on the front steps because of common persecution. "Safety" must have a different meaning to these brothers and sisters in Christ. Their prayers must be different than mine in the morning. May we take the uncomfortable path towards empathy with these brothers and sisters.

sigur ros: takk

takk...

Yeah, to the unassuming blog reader, this title would make little to no sense. Sigur Ros is the name of an Icelandic experimental rock group. In albums past, Icelandic was not their language of choice...and it wasn't English either. They would sing in a 'language' completely constructed by the band members themselves. They called it Hopelandic. This new album, called Takk, is their first album in their true vernacular--but this listener would not know the difference. Besides, the vocals are employed as an instrument--falsetto and distorted as they are.

The music is beautiful, which I dont take for granted anymore. Seemingly, beauty is "too metaphysical." Therefore, most thoughtful bands forgo such an ambition. The result is predictable: albums that are "groundbreaking" but unaccessable; "artistic" but hard on the ears; "smart" but ugly.

Sigur Ros is somehow unaffected by this trend. Yes, they are smart. Yes, they are groundbreaking. They break artistic bounds musically--but they are beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.