In New Mexico’s Fort Stanton Cave, surveyors have discovered unique formations. “The few who have walked on the formation say they’ve seen nothing else like it. Early studies point to its uniqueness: Already, some three dozen species of microbes previously unknown to science have been uncovered,” reports Susan Bryan. Though it may be closed to the public, I hope they have some photographs taken.
All posts by Phil
“Specifically About Goodness and Evil”
The Thinklings are blogging about Batman. Jared and Philip have excellent, thoughtful reviews of what apparently is an excellent, thoughtful movie.
Jared notes: “The whole thing about nihilism or whatever just isn’t in there. It’s just not. The Dark Knight is specifically about goodness and evil, virtue and ethics, individuality and the social animal. These aren’t things one has to stretch to find in the movie to make it redemptive; they are actually in the film.”
Philip writes:
This the Batman the world has been deprived of for so long by all the other attempts. Batman is not a superhero, so much as he’s the anti-anti-hero. Batman, as we fanboys know him, is a dark, conflicted character that escorts us into a journey into human nature that is so scary that we’re glad to have him as a guide, even though we know he’d never let any of us actually be friends with him. . . . This is a movie that grapples with original sin and the nature of evil. What makes us good? What makes us bad? The Joker, like Satan in the book of Job, says that good people are only good as long as the circumstances are right. But if you change their circumstances… they’ll be evil like him. His motive for his badness (and there’s A LOT of badness) seems to be to force humanity to look at itself in the mirror only to find the Joker’s face (as a symbol of evil) staring back.
Points of Reality in Publishing
Mary DeMuth has three posts on what she calls publishing reality.
- Fewer books are being published, so more pressure to perform is on authors.
- People are changing jobs within publishing houses as well as leaving the industry.
- Writers should serve their readers. Readers will buy a book for their own reasons, not to do writers a favor.
It’s an Expedition
Author Rich Wagner tells Christian men “if you allow your heart to be captured by career and church, you put your kid’s spiritual lives at risk.” He argues that the answer to life is not balancing family, career, and church. It’s about limiting career and church in order to lead the family whole-heartedly.
Hancock, A Human Story
My wife and I saw “Hancock” Saturday evening. The prelude to it was a delicious Roasted Sirloin Focaccia Sandwich at Outback Steakhouse. I want to try to work out something like that at home–sliced steak or roast beef, provolone, and herbs in garlic focaccia bread with French Onion soup for dipping. Good food.
But in the movie, Will Smith plays the down and out superpowered man who gets a grip on himself. He begins as a self-centered jerk and ends as a respectable hero. It’s the same story we’ve told a thousand times. Someone moves from self-destruction to productive citizen, overcoming alcohol, drugs, abusive behavior, doubt, fear, and anything keeping him from his full potential. “A life lived in fear is only half lived,” as the lead dancer’s father said in “Strictly Ballroom.” Hancock is the same story within a superhero fantasy. That’s why it’s a strong movie.
“Hancock” is essentially a comedy. That’s why it ends the way it does. Even in the serious tension of the final scenes, you can see comedy elements at play. They aren’t funny, but they are more lighthearted than the atmosphere and action call for. What themes are in the story are not heavy handed, so they could be missed, but I think it would be a good film for youth leaders and professors to watch with a group and talk through the messages afterward. Continue reading Hancock, A Human Story
More Reading for Guys
Amazon.com has a list of reading material for boys; at least, that’s what my email told me. I see know the list mixes boy and girl interests.
Who’s the greatest Christian fiction writer?
In case you don’t monitor The Thinklings blog, you may want to contribute to Bird’s post asking who is the greatest Christian fiction writer.
Abortion Clinic May Open in Chattanooga
Chattanooga has not had a facility for abortions since 1993. We have had women’s health services, and people who care about all kinds of mothers and children, but no place to encourage getting rid of the children. Now, the owner of abortion clinics in three other cities will reportedly open one here this year. The website mentioned in the article isn’t available as I write this post, and this article from a local new station said they could not contact anyone through the website. I wonder if this is a publicity stunt.
Price War
“Amazon is in conflict with the Hachette Group, Britain’s largest publisher, over terms and discounts and is refusing to sell its titles,” reports the Times Online. Amazon usually buys books at half the cover price, but it is pushing for more, apparently at the expense of author royalties.
Another Times reporter comments, “If [the price war] continued, it would not be long before Amazon got virtually all of the revenue that is presently shared between author, publisher, retailer, printer and other parties.”
Crazy and Violent
World reviews “The Dark Knight,” saying it’s top-notch and violent, a comic book dressed up as a crime novel.