Author: Roger

I think about the nature of God. A lot.
There’s something I truly believe that will be considered as arrogant, or irreligious, or cynical in some circles: as a Christian, or indeed as a person of faith, I think one should always be struggling with the nature of God. If you think you’ve got it all figured out, I don’t think you’re really trying very hard.

I’m talking about the story under the headline:

The story reads that people believed that “God is with us” when the miners were apparently found alive. Then what does it mean when only one miner survived? Writer Mark Evanier said it better than I could.
Somehow, I was also reminded of a certain Christmas carol that seems most appropriate.
Of course, there are journalistic issues to address, too, but that’s another conversation.
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Meanwhile, friend Tim makes it into the TU another time, this time with A Kinder, Gentler Hell
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How Swearing Works: “We all know what swearwords are. Even very young children know which words are naughty, although they don’t always know exactly what those words mean. Learn what makes words into swearwords, how society responds to swearing and how it affects your brain.”
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Friend Don asks: The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear:
“Has anyone seen this documentary yet? It sounds fascinating, but isn’t playing anywhere near me. The basic idea of the film is that the radical Islamic fundamentalists and American neo-Conservatives are mirror images; they employ similar tactics, embrace similar philosophies, and view the rest of the world with similar attitudes. I’ve read a few lengthy reviews and the film appears to be exquisitely well-researched; many of its statements have the ring of truth. One fact it presents, for example, is that “Al-Qaeda” as most Americans understand it is primarily a post-9/11 fabrication of the US government — something I’ve long suspected after researching the organization in international resources a few years ago. As far as I could tell, “Al Qaeda” is an umbrella term like “La Cosa Nostra”. But this is the first time I’ve heard that fact confirmed in domestic media. (Well, almost domestic; I think this film was initially broadcast by the BBC.)
If nothing else, this movie seems like a good rental when it comes out on DVD. But if anyone has already seen it, I’d be interested in a first-hand report.”
So, anyone seen this film?
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Is THIS the activity of a good Christian man?
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On a considerably lighter note Interspecies romance.
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Religious right says Barbie is secretly promoting “bisexuality” . Really. Here’s how.
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And, just because, a cartoonist played God.

NAME: Julie Hembeck
BLOG NAME: none that I’m aware of
NAME OF CD: Art Room Mix 2005
NUMBER OF CUTS: 21
RUNNING TIME: 76:24
COVER ART: Typed
SONG LIST:
1 Elliott Smith- amanda cecila 3:10
2 the shins – new slang 3:51
3 rasptina- girls school 5:29
4 le tigre- my metro card 2:56
5 yeah yeah yeahs- maps 3:39
6 killers- smile like you mean it 3:54
7 white stripes- i just dont know what to do with myself 2:46
8 reliant k- more than useless 3:50
9 jefferson airplane- white rabbit 2:33
10 le tigre- phanta 3:16
11 Michael Jackson- PYT 3:58
12 Shins- saint simon 4:25
13 Pink floyd- time 7:06
14 the bravery- no breaks 3 :04
15 Simple plan- one day 3:15
16 modern lovers- dignified and old 2:29
17 Elliott smith- baby britain 3:13
18 SBS- naked birthday 4:24
19 modern lovers- old world 4:03
20 SBS- cocoon 2:09
21 Elliott Smith- independence day 3:04
PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED BY:
GENERAL THOUGHTS: Frankly, I didn’t know what to expect. I feared that it would be a bunch of tunes and/or artists with whom I was not familiar and couldn’t relate to. Instead, it was a very pleasant mix of the new (to me) and old favorites.
I was surprised that Michael Jackson was on here; I had heard that she was over Jacko, but the song works here, even though it’s probably my least favorte cut on Thriller. Likewise, the Pink Floyd cut is a winner.
THINGS I PARTICULARLY LOVED: Le Tigre, White Stripes, and the Shins. Also pleased that she included the Modern Lovers.
ON THE OTHER HAND: The disc starts with a couple similarly mid-tempo tunes; I’d be inclined to start a bit livelier. Also, I would have spread out the songs by the last three artists more throughout the mix, like she did with the Shins. But these are minor quibbles about a very nice package.
OFFICE FRIENDLY: Not Reliant K
ONLY VAGUELY RELATED (BY BLOOD): Julie is the daughter of some comic book guy named Fred. My family had the pleasure of meeting her last summer. (She’s the one holding my daughter Lydia.) A less arty rendition of the picture can be found at the August 17 posting, and Julie’s self-portrait is at the same link at August 25.

It seldom fails. I get through the busy choir season, and I develop a sore throat that manages to linger for a week. Started feeling crummy Friday, not “too sick for work” crummy, but that level just below that. So a short post today.

Note to ADD : Thanks for the “spam.” Happy New Year to you, too. We’ll talk.

First, congrats to Mark Evanier for FIVE YEARS of blogging. I should be so fortunate.

Personnel:
•Adrian Belew (guitar, lead vocal) •Robert Fripp (guitar, devices) •Tony Levin (stick, bass guitar, support vocal) •Bill Bruford (batterie)

What’s news?

But what will be the real news stories for 2006 we can only imagine.