funny stuff- clinton's law of politics

this ranks an 8 on the unintentional comedy scale, a 10 on the irony scale and is off the chart on the cynicism scale.



hat tip to Andrew Sullivan

cynical attempts to buy votes and get you to church

it looks like I will not need to write a blog posting on how monumentally bad the idea of a break from the gas tax is. Most columnists agree on the stupidity of this bit of pandering which will help oil companies, not consumers and add to the deficit and hurt our failing highway system and infrastructure even worse.

Here is a roundup of the thinking on this audaciously cynical idea.

Similarly, churches (as outreaches) are doing something similar. They are lowering the price of gas at stations for a period of time to boost their standing and attendance. Apparently, this has been happening for a while (I have been out of the loop for a long time- thankfully).

Link (thanks to reformissionary for the link)

random

• Focus on the family sent out a newsletter to remind its constituents why they need to not be swayed by Obama's rhetorical skills, hope and serious discussions of his own faith. Here is March's newsletter.

• It may be shocking to learn, but apparently some of those "facts" in their newsletter are a bit lacking in truth or context, but that has never stopped any of these groups before. The excellent site, Politifact has done some digging and found these mistruths- here is the 1st, the 2nd , the 3rd (this is about context, which FOTF leaves out) and the 4th. As a "Christian" organization, FOTF should share its disagreement with Obama while still telling the truth and representing the words of any politician in the proper context.
  

• Aaron Graham, who helped us start our church in Boston (and was a student in my youth ministry), is the National Organizer for Sojourner's Justice Revivals. Watch his youtube video explaining the revivals here.

• Jordon Cooper mentioned it first. But, here is a great article on what we can do to help the earth by Michael Pollan quoting Wendell Berry.

• I have an interview with a great organization on Tuesday. Be mindful of that.
  

a new game for you to play with your friends

Jon Stewart offers us a fun new game.

you Elitist, you.

As you know I have been trying to stay away from the politics. But, it is an addiction I cannot quit. When I get my feathers ruffled I try to sit back and mellow out. However, sometimes things fester. Elitism has festered for a couple of weeks.

As you all know, the world has been abuzz the past few weeks regarding which US Senator educated at an Ivy League college (or comparable school) with an income in the upper .5% of nation is less Elitist. Apparently the former 1st Lady from an exclusive Chicago suburb and the son and grandson of Navy Admirals are less elitist than the son of an immigrant raised by a single mom (and then educated at exclusive schools). Give me a break. When was the last time we had a president that was not an Elitist?

Dubya? son of a president, former oil man, Yale and Harvard grad. But, he is a bit dense- so we think he is "one of us."
Clinton? raised by single mom. lived in trailer. But, studied at Georgetown, Yale and Oxford.
Bush? son of a Senator. Yale grad.
Reagan? Hollywood. California.
Carter? Our least elitist president in a couple of generations. How did that work out for most people?

Face it. Our presidents and our senators are elitists. How can they be anything but? But, we want them to pander to us and act like us. We want them drinking beer, bowling, hunting and fishing, flipping pancakes and fixing lawnmowers. I could care less about any of this. I want them to solve the world's problems and make the US a better place to live. A guy like me cannot do that.

Here is one of the best quotes regarding the relative importance of "Elitism" among the presidential candidates (thanks to Andrew Sullivan):

"If Barack Obama or anyone else really cares to know what I think, I will simplify it all down to this. The landmark political fact of our time is the replacement of our middle-class republic by a plutocracy. If some candidate has a scheme to reverse this trend, they've got my vote, whether they prefer Courvoisier or beer bongs spiked with cough syrup. I don't care whether they enjoy my books, or would rather have every scrap of paper bearing my writing loaded into a C-47 and dumped into Lake Michigan. If it will help restore the land of relative equality I was born in, I'll fly the plane myself," - Thomas A. Frank, Wall Street Journal.

However, the best thing said on the subject was by Jon Stewart last week. It is 9 minutes long, but well worth it. The money quote is around 7 minutes in, where Jon points out that Elite is a good thing! We need a president that is an elitist, not one that is a Frat brother that we can do shots with. We need a president that can go toe to toe with Russian leaders, not bowl 225 after a day of duck hunting. As Jon says, we need presidents that are "embarrassingly better than" the rest of us.

Debate

I have been trying to swear off the political stuff for a few weeks, mostly due to the fact that I have some resumes out and know people don't want to see a bunch of political opinions from a job seeker when they google my name (although it should be better than what happens when some 20-somethings with too much info on myspace are googled by potential employers). However, I found this and thought some of you (that have not seen) it, may be interested.

You probably saw (or heard about) the debate last Wednesday on ABC (the worst network, with the worst newscast) which was "moderated" by Clinton supporter George Stephanopoulos and milquetoast Charlie Gibson. Many of Obama's supporters thought it was a bit of a joke suffering from bias and poor journalism. According to this analysis, the critics are right.

link

The most narcissistic things online, according to ME

While checking myself in the mirror I was not thinking about narcissism. As I started a blog posting and updated my facebook status I was not thinking about narcissism. When I looked at the number of hits this site gets, I was not thinking about narcissism. When looking at hair color to cover the mound of gray on my head and face, I was not thinking about narcissism. But, when I saw too many twitter updates on someone blogs, I became obsessed with narcissism. In fact, I see no area of our culture untainted by it (especially my Emerging Church world).

Some people have done some interesting studies lately on the subject of why we have become so darn focused upon ourselves. In fact, Dr. Drew, the TV doctor has done a Narcissistic Personality Inventory and theorizes the rise of narcissism in the past 50 or so years.

Here is what he said in Rolling Stone on January 24, 2008.

“I believe something has shifted,” Pinsky says. “Frankly, something substantial happened when we developed antibiotics and hormonal contraceptives. Before 1950, almost half of American families could expect a child to die. Way more women could expect to die during childbirth. Living past fifty was sort of extraordinary. Now death and dying don’t really exist to us. We don’t need to deal with it. And then with birth control, sexuality became unhinged from a biological reality. Throughout human history, sex carried with it heavy consequences. It could kill you. Suddenly we were unhinged from that, and I think our culture has been rattling ever since. In 500 years, people will say the biological circumstances of human life changed profoundly, and it took them 150 years to figure it out. They’ll say everyone became narcissistic, obsessed with instant pleasure, they stopped taking care of their children, and all hell broke loose.” A meditative pause. “Listen, in the days of Freud, narcissism was a footnote in psychological journals. Now it’s the standard personality of our culture. Nothing but grandiose narcissistic thinking everywhere!”

To be simplistic as the media/blog/ news world demands, it seems we have a convergence of human selfishness and self-centeredness with the advancement of medicine along with the ability to share all of our thoughts through the technological advancement of the Internet and web 2.0 (of course we can add Reality TV to the mix).

As we know Time named all of us as the Person of the Year in 2006 and good (and not so good) articles and books have been written on the subject and many have decried web 2.0 for a few years.. So, I know there has been lots of talk about it, but I have apparently hit my wall (2 days ago).

A friend had asked me to sign up for twitter a while back. I did and promptly forgot about it. Then a bunch of other friends signed up and my wife read to me some of their twitter postings. It hit me. This has to be the most narcissistic thing I have seen on the internet as of yet.

I understand how this technology can be useful- for families and businesses. However, I do not need to know what someone is doing every moment of the day.

So, I need your help. What are the most narcissistic technological advancements of the previous few years? Here is a list (in order) that I have compiled so far. However, I am a Luddite and may be missing a lot.

1. Twitter
2. Facebook status updates*
3. Myspace
4. Facebook applications*
5. Personal Blogs*
6. gmail status updates*
7. Self Promotion on YouTube
8. personal podcasts
9. googling myself (or something like that)
10. self personality inventories online*

I am not judging these, but thinking about how bad this is going to be by time my kids are older. I am also thinking about the church's and parent's role in teaching our families how to navigate this new narcissism.

*I have been implicated in these

McCain Campaign Ad

although it is a bit dull and will not satisfy the hard right/ Rovian contingency, this ad tells us why McCain could be a very different Republican candidate in the general election and McCain vs. Obama could be very good for our nation (if we could just get rid of the 527s). Imagine a civil discussion among friends over the direction of our nation to best solve the issues we ALL care about.


thanks to Andrew Sullivan for the link

it is about time

I will explain in a later posting why this is such a big deal to myself, not just the city of Boston and the Buckner family. I do blame the media and the fans of Boston for scapegoating a borderline Hall of Famer playing on bad knees after the bullpen (the Red Sox Achilles heal) blew up once more.

It was not Buckner that needed to be forgiven. It was the city of Boston, its fans and media that needed to be forgiven by Buckner. But, Buckner needed to have the city celebrate him to move on.

til then, please watch this video (if I had been there I would have been weeping like a baby).



watch him talk about forgiving the media here.

My Muxtape

thanks to josh brown* and others for turning me on to Muxtape. it is not perfect, but it is a way to share songs i like with you. if this takes off for me, i will add new mixtapes to my blog periodically. that way i can share new songs, songs about things and the soundtrack to my life.

so, here is my first muxtape for you. you need to make sure you are not using firefox, unless they have figured out the glitch.

there is no rhyme or reason to my mix for today, just what I felt like sharing (old and new) that you may not know or may have forgotten.

we have Rilo Kiley, K'naan, Josh Ritter, Joseph Arthur, 16 Horspeower, Jim White, Uncle Tupelo, The Format, Okkervil River, The Replacements, Destroyer and a special song about Dubya. I hope you enjoy- let me know what you like and dislike (you can listen while you do other things).

*i think josh likes song with curse words

fairly recent underviewed or under appreciated films

instead of giving my list of underrated films, which i have done before (see below) and may do again, i am giving you a list of 50 films i think have been underviewed. they do not even rate underrating because not enough people have actually watched them to know.* i am only including fiction (not documentaries, since at least 1/2 of the list would be docs). the time period i am working with is the last 10-15 years or so.

1. With Friends Like Harry (imagine a French Hitchcock)
2. Sexy Beast (heist film with Ben Kingsly playing against type)
3. The Proposition (gothic Biblical western morality play)
4. Undertow (southern gothic. like Night of the Hunter)
5. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (snarky action film)
6. Bloody Sunday (before the Bourne films, Greengrass takes us into the heart of the fight over Northern Ireland)
7. Croupier (early proof that Clive Owen is a star)
8. Run Lola Run (German "choose your own adventure" on meth)
9. Dirty Pretty Things (the dark underbelly of immigration)
10. The Iron Giant (brilliant Brad Bird directed cartoon)
11. Junebug (a farily accurate depiction of the south)
12. Sunshine State (John Sayles captures old Florida)
13. Layer Cake (Daniel Craig got the 007 role based on this)
14. Zero Effect (darkly funny Jeff Daniels PI flick)
15. The Squid and the Whale (Jeff Daniels again. Woody Allen-ish family drama)
16. Rodger Dodger (smart comedy about the "cool" uncle)
17. The Devil's Backbone (before Pan's Labyrinth came this)
18. Station Agent (beautiful film about those we forget)
19. Smoke Signals (when was the last time you saw a modern flick from a Native American POV?)
20. Millions (family film by the Trainspotting director)
21. Hard 8 (PT Anderson in Vegas before he was "important")
22. Rabbit Proof Fence (in case you think the US is the only one with a bad history towards natives)
23. Big Night (art vs commerce set in an Italian restaurant)
24. Amores perros (better than Babel)
25. The Quiet American (Graham Greene on the screen)
26. Lonestar (Sayles captures south Texas and family dysfunction)
27. Spartan (Mamet does spy thriller)
28. Thumbsucker (Keanu Reeves does not ruin a family comedy)
29. The Limey (Soderbergh's most underrated flick)
30. Cookie's Fortune (Altman does Southern Gothic)
31. Flirting with Disaster (search for adoptive parents gone awry)
32. Miller's Crossing (Coens do gangster)
33. You Can Count on Me (the irony and insanity of family bonds)
34. The Player (the irony and insanity of Hollywood)
35. No Man's Land (the irony and insanity of war)
36. Heist (I love heist films, esp when Mamet does it)
37. Confidence (I love con game movies)
38. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (should be higher)
39. The Spanish Prisoner (Mamet doing con game)
40. Human Nature (odd little Michel Gondry flick)
41. Tsotsi (morality play set in Africa)
42. Ghost World (quirky and odd film about quirky people)
43. Brick (film noir at High School)
44. Cache (if you like your mysteries French and intriguing)
45. Ruby in Paradise (very real, not Hollywood, very Florida)
46. Osama (Afghani film about the brutality of the Taliban)
47. 21 Grams (brutal and beautiful- not for faint hearted)
48. In the Bedroom (great film, you probably saw it, so not higher)
49. American Splendor (movie based upon reallife comic w/ Giamatti)
50. The Lookout (great bank heist film with twists)

* you may not agree with this list. in fact, you may think some of these films have been seen by enough people, or think others are much more underviewed.

here is a list of some i considered, most of which I liked or loved), but considered them to be seen by many people. these others may be underrated, if not underviewed:

Bottle Rocket, The Lives of Others, Insomnia, I (heart) Huckabees, Unbreakable, 3 Kings, Fearless, Long Kiss Goodnight, Half Nelson, Dick, The Quick and the Dead, Billy Elliot, Gattaca, Akeelah and the Bee, Jarhead, City of God and Dogma (you had better of seen each of these).

Underrated Films

An old friend asked me to list the most underrated films of all time. I had already done something on the over and underrated films a couple of years ago (I had forgotten about it- it even generated 20 comments, which is huge for a CTT posting).

Here it is in its glory.

link

It includes Fletch Lives, The Limey, Dodgeball, Fearless, Miller's Crossing, Spartan, Confidence, Unbreakable, 3 Kings and Manhunter.

By Monday I will list the 50 Most underwatched or underappreciated films of recent memory.

Good Resource for MLK thoughts

The Roots, a daily online magazine owned and operated by the Washington Post and geared towards African American issues for the general market has a number of reticent articles surrounding today's 40 year anniversary of Dr. King's death.

click here

a 3+minute video from the website

overrated movies

top 50 Overrated Films (in some sort of order)

1. Silence of the Lambs (overacted. for a truly scary Hannibel Lector, watch Manhunter)
   
2. Braveheart (like watching a John Eldridge book. not just fake blood, but fake testosterone)
   
3. Shakespeare in Love (take a dumb romantic comedy and make it "historical" and win Oscars)
   
4. Forrest Gump (if a 5 year old can do the same impression, it is not acting)
   
5. Chocolat (take away the "e" and it tastes like vanilla)
   
6. American Beauty (ohhh, I am so edgy with my unsubtle satire of suburbia)
   
7. Titanic (I cried... because I had to pee and my butt hurt)
   
8. Crash (aim high- shoot low and be condescending and obvious)
9. Chicago (luckily the city is better than the movie)
   
10. Brokeback Mountain (see below)
    
11. Out of Africa (Typical Oscar-baiting Hollywood pablum about star-crossed lovers)
    
12. Philadelphia (lose weight and win an Oscar, be pedantic and tell people its important)
    
13. Beautiful Mind (beautiful acting and nothing more)
    
14. Scarface ("10" on the unintentional comedy scale)
    
15. Ghost (I may throw up just thinking about the clay spinning wheel scene)
    
16. Dead Poet's Society (good movie until they kill the kid and make it seem like dad's fault, not Robin Williams')
    
17. No Country for Old Men (left me dry and only somewhat impressed- a bit of a letdown for the Coans)*
    
18. Napoleon Dynamite (painful. it makes fun of what it claims to admire- reminds me of a sad kid I knew)
    
19. Talladega Nights (a few very funny scenes, but not THAT good- yes "baby Jesus" is funny)*
    
20. Scent of a Woman (who-ah and win an Oscar for overacting)
    
21. Donnie Darko (I don't think I got it, other that Swayze getting his house burned down-but I love giant rabbits)*
    
22. Shawshank Redemption (very fine film, but not the BEST MOVIE EVER)*
    
23. Being John Malcovich (another fine film, but I expected much more- not that funny)*
    
24. Matrix (the 1st one was a good Sci Fi film not the Gospel Retold. Give me a break- the 2nd sucked so much)*
    
25. The English Patient (see #10 and #11)
    
26. Anchorman (was it a satire, a broad comedy or a romantic comedy? make up your mind)
    
27. Million Dollar Baby (not Oscar worthy, but liked it more than most Baptists)*
    
28. Austin Powers: the Spy Who Shagged Me (I paid $7 and laughed twice)
29. Rushmore (2nd worst Wes Anderson film. Definitely not his best film)*
    
30. Nightmare on Elm Street (was supposed to be scary, but it wasn't, just gross)
    
31. Saving Private Ryan (great execution, but poor story with simplistic message)
    
32. Zoolander (my wife will disagree vehemently)
    
33. Cars (too long and none of the aura of a Pixar film- but it keeps the kids quiet)
    
34. Babel (a couple of good mini films and a couple that stink)*
    
35. Passion of The Christ (the best parts had nothing to do with the Bible)
    
36. Garden State (very good, but still predictable and unrealistic)*
    
37. Ransom (I HATED this movie, on so many levels)
38. Dirty Dancing (Patrick Swayze is among the worst actors ever)
    
39. Tommy Boy (tries too hard to be funny, and fails)
    
40. Top Gun (never smart to kill the more interesting character early)
    
41. Scream (been there, too many times. Watch Shawn of the Dead instead)
    
42. Kids (oooh I am sooo edgy, even if I have no story telling ability)
    
43. A Mighty Wind (A mighty bore)
    
44. Moulin Rouge (pretty. dumb.)
    
45. Billy Madison (it is no Happy Gilmore; that is for sure)
    
46. Cast Away (turned it off because it was late. never returned)
    
47. Little Miss Sunshine (sweet family film, nothing more)*
    
48. Inconvenient Truth (great message. But, it is not a documentary. It is a lecture)*
    
49. Jesus Camp (pure caricature)
    
50. Far and Away (among the worst movies ever- if 1 person likes it... it is overrated)

*I liked this film

lots to read

for your perusal;

• a whole website dedicated to debunking Tony Jones and his new book. Hey Tony, congratulations you have made it. link here
• everyone's favorite atheist, Christopher Hitchens, thinks this Bosnia flap is a very big deal. According to him, not only does it uncover a history of lies (not misspeaking), but also Senator Clinton's influence in keeping the US from intervening in the Civil War there earlier (it would have distracted the administration from health care reform). He blames her and her husband for thousands of deaths. link here
• speaking of atheists, Chris Hedges thinks the new atheists are terribly dangerous for everything from "demonizing Muslims to believing we can use science for our own moral advancement." he tells us they are preaching a dangerous new faith in his article from a new book (this is not from a conservative Christian POV, which makes it cooler), link here
• New York Times blogger and professor of everything, the self described non-foundationalist, Stanley Fish tears those same "New Atheists" a new one for being the very thing they decry (fundamentalists believing in something they cannot see). There are 4 articles. Link 1, Link 2, Link 3, link 4.
  
• His blog on secularism and liberalism being the same thing is also quite good. Link here
  
• Those welfare cheats living at the tax payer's expense and threatening the very values of our nation. Meet the super wealthy. link here
• N.T. Wright reminds us "heaven is not our home" and that we have gotten the afterlife terribly wrong. link here
• An experiment towards a more caring economy. The Pentecost Project
• The story of one war hero ("the face of the war") and the tortured life he is leading upon returning home, forgotten by his government (I am sure the War is "worth it" for guys like him). link here
• Great article on what goes on in black churches and around the dinner table. link here and read to the end.