The IPCC consensus on climate change was phoney, says IPCC insider. By trying to establish consensus, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has set itself up for critical slams. Criticism has been ignored; uncertainty marginalized.
Here’s a critique of a rebuttal of the post linked above from the IPCC insider with egg on his face.
Jared Wilson has a Bible study called Abide: Practicing Kingdom Rhythms in a Consumer Culture and answers a few questions about it here. Here’s a bit from the first part of the interview:
Your book has much to say about the influence that our consumer culture has upon us as Christians. How would you describe its impact upon the being and doing of today’s evangelical church? In other words, is the influence of consumer culture hindering us from being the church, and, if so, how?
Yes, consumer culture has enormous impact on the evangelical church, and the “root” way it hinders us from being the church is how it appeals to and feeds our innate self-centeredness. Consumer culture urges us to see ourselves at the center of the universe. From self-service to self-help, everything about consumer culture makes convenience, quickness, and comfort idols that are difficult not to worship. And of course the more self-centered we are, the less inclined we’ll be to see the great need of experiencing the gospel community of the church. And consumer culture affects the “doing” of the church, as well, which is fairly evident in the way many churches not only don’t subvert consumerism but actually orient around it and cater to it. From some of the more egregious forms of marketing to the way church services are designed to the way many preachers prepare the messages, the chief concern appears to be to keep the customers satisfied.
Jane Friedman of Writer’s Digest says we should not worry so much about grammar. “Perfect grammar has nothing to do with great writing,” she blogs. “Certainly, I will admit that people who are better at grammar often have more sensitivity for the nuance of language—and tend to be better writers—but for the most part, facility with grammar has nothing to do with storytelling talent.”
Tony Woodlief has a good column on so many people’s acceptance of pornography. The damage is never limited they way many argue. “How dare anyone deprive these women of their self-esteem,” he asks, “by telling them that, in blunt terms, they’re simply taking off their clothes for money and applause?”
Loren Eaton at I Saw Lightning Fall reviews Andrew Klavan’s Dynamite Road, and–to my horror–is not entirely sure what to think about it.
It makes sense, then, in telling such a story to join tough-guy mystery with breakneck thriller. What seems a little odd is the unabashed romanticism infusing the proceedings.
I’ll tell you what to think about it, Loren! It’s brilliant! It’s a timeless masterpiece! It will outlive us all!
I’m sure he’ll come over to my view once he’s read the rest of the trilogy.
If not, I have ways to persuade him…
We had bad weather in Minnesota last night, but it came not near me. Here at Blithering Heights we had rain and clouds, and weird light that would do a Broadway stage production proud, but nothing serious. However, down in Rochester where I had supper Sunday night, they did have serious property destruction (three people were killed in small towns in the area).
I thank God it wasn’t worse. One feels a strange, irrational chill when a disaster happens somewhere you recently visited, even though technically it wasn’t anything like a near miss. Strange to think that there was wreckage strewn across Highway 52, on which I drove.
But I’ve given it a lot of thought and have concluded (tentatively) that it probably wasn’t my fault.
Apparently, the Nampa Classical Academy of Boise, Idaho, received praise from school officials in 2008 and several months following for its curriculum plans. Now, things have changed.
Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed an appeal Monday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, contesting a federal judge’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit that challenges the Idaho Public Charter School Commission’s across-the-board ban on the use of texts and documents deemed to be “religious.” ADF attorneys filed the lawsuit on behalf of Nampa Classical Academy last November after the commission threatened to revoke the academy’s charter if it used the Bible or other religious texts on its classroom resource list for any purpose whatsoever.
Guest blogger Celestine Chua writes, “Top bloggers of excellence have 8 consistent habits – 8 habits, which, when we practice duly, are guaranteed to bring you results.” I don’t see wordiness on the list, so that may be a ninth habit thrown in for free. [/snark]
Bill Bryson said, “Ages are generally pretty incompetent at judging their own worth.” This is why we need to read old books and translated books, says this Dane who lives in New York.
The Washington Post thinks it is. Steven Levingston, senior editor of Book World, states Glenn Beck’s purpose for The Overton Window
A book for terrorists. Really?
In related stories on Beck’s novel, Newsweek’s reviewer only read ten pages and talks about another book in the article.