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Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Lady Lazarus
Fatuma Shubisa died. It was the best twelve hours of her life.
Don't believe it? Here's video proof. If it's on TV, it must be true.
Don't believe it? Here's video proof. If it's on TV, it must be true.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
You Know How to Whistle Don't You?
You just put your feathers together and dive. Here's why I love the study of birds. It's endlessly surprising. Consider the male Anna's hummingbird. Like other hummers it likes to show off for the ladies. It swoops and dives, dancing in the sunlight, flashing its iridescent feathers in a show of sheer avian sexiness. Yeah baby, take a ride with me. I've got the hottest sports car in town. Then, to really show off, he gives a loud squeak. Gets 'em every time.
Thing is, no one was quite sure how he produced that squeak. Researchers have now figured it out. He does it with his tail feathers. He gets up to about fifty m.p.h, forms his feathers into something like a reed, and gives his girl a whistle.
Nature equipped the bird with its own kazoo. Don't you just love surprises?
Thing is, no one was quite sure how he produced that squeak. Researchers have now figured it out. He does it with his tail feathers. He gets up to about fifty m.p.h, forms his feathers into something like a reed, and gives his girl a whistle.
Nature equipped the bird with its own kazoo. Don't you just love surprises?
Monday, January 21, 2008
"A Chance to be a Part of Ever"
That's what Junior Seau said the Patriots will be playing for in the Superbowl. The chance to be the only team in NFL history to go 19-0 in a season. The best season in the history of NFL football. These are some smart guys on this team, who love the game and appreciate its history. They know what this means.
As for yesterday's game, what can I say? The Chargers are good, but they didn't have much chance. Their defense did pretty well, picking off Brady and containing Moss. Hat's off to their offence, especially the heroic job done by Phillip Rivers, but the Pats D really stepped it up. Bruschi, Seau, Vrabel, all of them. Keeping a good team like San Diego out of the end zone is pretty good. If the Chargers had been healthy and LT hadn't been forced to do his Darth Vader impression on the sidelines (love that helmet) they might have been a bigger challenge. Injuries are, they say, a part of the game.
Even if Brady and Moss didn't have their best days the offence was still exciting. The O-line is the best in the business, giving Brady time and making holes for Maroney. While Randy was getting double-teamed, Faulk was making some big plays. For a Pats fan, this was nothing but fun.
For now, it is off to they hype, off to the show, off to Glendale, and off to . . . Ever.
As for yesterday's game, what can I say? The Chargers are good, but they didn't have much chance. Their defense did pretty well, picking off Brady and containing Moss. Hat's off to their offence, especially the heroic job done by Phillip Rivers, but the Pats D really stepped it up. Bruschi, Seau, Vrabel, all of them. Keeping a good team like San Diego out of the end zone is pretty good. If the Chargers had been healthy and LT hadn't been forced to do his Darth Vader impression on the sidelines (love that helmet) they might have been a bigger challenge. Injuries are, they say, a part of the game.
Even if Brady and Moss didn't have their best days the offence was still exciting. The O-line is the best in the business, giving Brady time and making holes for Maroney. While Randy was getting double-teamed, Faulk was making some big plays. For a Pats fan, this was nothing but fun.
For now, it is off to they hype, off to the show, off to Glendale, and off to . . . Ever.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
17
Good game last night. The Jags came out well prepared, with a good game plan, and they executed it well. It just didn't matter. These Patriots are the best team I've ever seen. Just two more games to go, and these are going to be the toughest tests yet.
Man, this is fun.
Man, this is fun.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Finding God in Monty Python
Yeah, I’m still re-watching Monty Python. This time it’s . . .
Sorry, something about that word.
This time it’s Monty Python’s The Life of Brian, which just happens to be one of my all time favorite movies. My official movie review is thus: it is very funny, very smart, and hugely entertaining.
All right, that out of the way, I’d like to reminisce a bit. I was but a lad when Brian hit the screens and I remember the controversy it stirred then. People were pretty upset because they thought (wrongly) that the movie mocked Jesus and that it was blasphemous. There were protests, petitions, and letters to the editor. It was banned in three countries, leading to calls of “welease Bwian!” All this did, of course, was to increase the box office. Pickets sell tickets, after all.
But were they right? Is the film blasphemous?
No. It is, I think, heretical, but not blasphemous. Being a heretic myself I can’t that say I mind that.
There’s a message in amongst all the silliness. They come pretty close to stating it explicitly when Brian speaks to his new followers. He’s trying to get them to understand that he is not the Messiah. He says “Look, you’ve got it all wrong. You don’t need to follow me. You don’t need to follow anybody! You’ve got to think for yourselves. You’re all individuals!”
If that’s not a heretical concept I don’t know what is. The Pythons lampoon religious hypocrisy and fanaticism with a fake beard and a shoe on a stick. They knock down orthodoxy, gullibility and groupthink. The only things they don’t make fun of are faith and love. Not a lot of laughs there, after all.
Faith and love are, or should be, the pillars of any church. Some churches place hierarchy or their traditional interpretation of scripture above these things. Some are more concerned with arguing about comparatively minor differences of ritual or belief than they are about their true purpose. And some, horribly, are so consumed by hate that they have forgotten about faith and love altogether. It’s enough to make you want to cry.
Or laugh, if you listen to the Pythons. After all –
“Some things in life are bad.
They can really make you mad.
Other things just make you swear and curse.
When you’re chewing on life’s gristle,
Don’t grumble, give a whistle.
And this’ll help things turn out for the best.
And . . .
Always look on the bright side of life.
Always look on the light side of life."
Right then, here are my top ten reasons to watch The Life of Brian:
Admiral Piett on the Mount
The stoning
Biggus Dickus
The Judean People’s Front
The Latin lesson
Naked Judith (or naked Graham, if you are so inclined)
“He’s not the Messiah. He’s a very naughty boy!”
Cleese’s centurion
“You going to keep it in a box?”
Eric’s song.
Sorry, something about that word.
This time it’s Monty Python’s The Life of Brian, which just happens to be one of my all time favorite movies. My official movie review is thus: it is very funny, very smart, and hugely entertaining.
All right, that out of the way, I’d like to reminisce a bit. I was but a lad when Brian hit the screens and I remember the controversy it stirred then. People were pretty upset because they thought (wrongly) that the movie mocked Jesus and that it was blasphemous. There were protests, petitions, and letters to the editor. It was banned in three countries, leading to calls of “welease Bwian!” All this did, of course, was to increase the box office. Pickets sell tickets, after all.
But were they right? Is the film blasphemous?
No. It is, I think, heretical, but not blasphemous. Being a heretic myself I can’t that say I mind that.
There’s a message in amongst all the silliness. They come pretty close to stating it explicitly when Brian speaks to his new followers. He’s trying to get them to understand that he is not the Messiah. He says “Look, you’ve got it all wrong. You don’t need to follow me. You don’t need to follow anybody! You’ve got to think for yourselves. You’re all individuals!”
If that’s not a heretical concept I don’t know what is. The Pythons lampoon religious hypocrisy and fanaticism with a fake beard and a shoe on a stick. They knock down orthodoxy, gullibility and groupthink. The only things they don’t make fun of are faith and love. Not a lot of laughs there, after all.
Faith and love are, or should be, the pillars of any church. Some churches place hierarchy or their traditional interpretation of scripture above these things. Some are more concerned with arguing about comparatively minor differences of ritual or belief than they are about their true purpose. And some, horribly, are so consumed by hate that they have forgotten about faith and love altogether. It’s enough to make you want to cry.
Or laugh, if you listen to the Pythons. After all –
“Some things in life are bad.
They can really make you mad.
Other things just make you swear and curse.
When you’re chewing on life’s gristle,
Don’t grumble, give a whistle.
And this’ll help things turn out for the best.
And . . .
Always look on the bright side of life.
Always look on the light side of life."
Right then, here are my top ten reasons to watch The Life of Brian:
Admiral Piett on the Mount
The stoning
Biggus Dickus
The Judean People’s Front
The Latin lesson
Naked Judith (or naked Graham, if you are so inclined)
“He’s not the Messiah. He’s a very naughty boy!”
Cleese’s centurion
“You going to keep it in a box?”
Eric’s song.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Reading on the C Line
Just in case you were wondering, here are the bestsellers of 2007 at Brookline Booksmith. If number one is a surprise, you have been living under a rock.
Live Loud and Prosper
You are a Trekkie! Say it proud! Say it loud! Say it with 118 decibels of air horn power! Yeah!
The Holy Bibles
Read the Bible. Good advice. It is the most influential book in all of western civilization. It doesn't matter if you are reading it as a believer or not (well, I guess it matters a little), the Bible should be on your reading list. But which Bible? Unless you can read classical Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek, you're going to need a translation. Do you go with the good old KJV, or the NKJV? How about the ASV, the NJB, the NAB, the NEB, the NIV, or the TNIV? I grew up with the RSV but today I generally use the NRSV. The language is clear. The translators tried to project the original meaning of the words while remaining in the tradition of the King James Version. I've talked to one scholar who does know classical Hebrew and Aramaic, and he says that he is impressed by how the original meaning comes through. Up until recently I've been pretty happy with it. But now come two new translations that may be even better.
Coming this year -- The Manga Bible. I'm going to bet that it will be way better than the Classic Comics version.
and
The ongoing project -- The Bible as translated by cats.
Coming this year -- The Manga Bible. I'm going to bet that it will be way better than the Classic Comics version.
and
The ongoing project -- The Bible as translated by cats.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
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