Spudlets

October 31, 2002

Wobbling Wall
On Wednesday nights, we usually get home in time from church to get a double shot from the TCT network, the Gaither (half) hour and the Jack Van Impe Show. Last night, Dr. Jack was worked up into a froth over the bulge in the southern wall of the Temple Mount, and how its collapse would spell the beginning of Armageddeon (should it be capitalized?). He implored me to tell all my friends not to miss next week, that it would be a vitally important program.

The show can be interesting to watch, if only to see the lovely Rexella's reaction to Dr. Jack's comments, as well as helping me to work on my "Chuck" voice (if you've heard it, you know what I mean). I have little interest in end-time prophecies, because I have a difficult enough time making it through the day (and I want to trust Jesus with the details) to worry about a future event, but Lady Tater enjoys it, so we watch. He tends to cover current events and how they relate to biblical prophecies.

Anyhow, I tried to look up the bulging wall on the web, and found this dated Aug. 27, as well as similar articles from about that time period. So why is Dr. Jack all lathered up? An article from the WaPo last weekend gives a good background on the Temple Mount/Wailing Wall, how excavations over the last few years have weakened it, and an ominous possibility:

Israeli officials believe this work has weakened an adjacent wall to the point of imminent collapse. A minor bulge examined two years ago on the south wall has widened to more than 100 feet and protrudes more than three feet, and the weight of 400,000 Muslims expected to visit the mount on Nov. 6, the beginning of Ramadan, could bring the wall down, they warned.
...
In a religio-political atmosphere where a tunnel exit and a government official's visit precipitate months of bloodshed, what might a wall collapse with thousands of casualties bring?

The Muslims will not allow Israeli engineers into the site, so they have compromised and let Jordanian government officials inspect the area and make recommendations. By the time Dr. Jack's program airs (Nov. 6, 9:30 pm EST here), we will know if there is a crisis at hand. I have to wonder if the Bush administration is waiting on this before going ahead with the Iraqi liberation, because if that wall collapses, then all bets are off in the Mideast. There is no telling how Israel will react, and how much we, the US, will be militarily involved in securing the area. Amidst all of that confusion, Saddam might decide to lob a few chemical/biological bombs over there if the Muslim side looks to be losing the Temple Mount.

Before, I thought that Pres. Bush was waiting for the elections to be over before moving on Saddam. That is still a significant factor, because there are too many variables and things that could go wrong in a tight election to take the gamble of starting military actions against Iraq. The wall collapse could be the spark that ignites a much hotter fire in that area, as well as a push by Israel to rebuild the Temple - now that should qualify as the scariest story for today, particularly if you are not saved!


Posted by MarcV, 10:20 AM link

October 30, 2002

Some random quips from the Chicago Tribune site:

Coach Jauron: "It's been five really frustrating weeks for everybody but we have not changed our goals. Our goal is to find a way to claw our way into a playoff spot. The only way we can do that is really not look any further than the next week." [Play 'em one at a time, catch the ball, throw the ball, blah blah blah]
...
But as the Bears' foundation of defense, running and good luck erodes, coach Dick Jauron laments the lack of big plays. The glaring absence of big-play threats is magnified when a team like the Eagles arrives led by a one-man band. [Remember when the man was Coach Ditka?]

Posted by MarcV, 4:45 PM link

Hallow-been?
This Halloween season has felt different to me this year. The last few years were easier, since my youngster was too little to put up a fuss about going out for candy. This year we are taking him to a "party" at church, so he's excited about that. I feel conflicted about either letting him go out and having "Halloween" fun, or insisting on alternatives and not going down the "evil" path. Maybe it is just a matter of being more confident in his maturity, being able to tell good from evil. We won't be giving out candy (and tracts) this year, not that we got all that many "beggars" last year.

Halloween spending has increased dramatically over the last several years (U.S. shoppers' Halloween spending rose from $2.5 billion in 1995 to $6.9 billion in 2001, according to the National Retail Federation in Washington, D.C.), and you see it in the neighborhoods that put out elaborate decorations and lights, similar to Christmas decorations. If Halloween and the evil connotations that it can represent seem to be getting out of hand, is it the duty of Christians to pull back and not participate (or even condemn) the "holiday"? Let's see how many deaths/accidents occur over this extended week-end of partying.

I had been asked to post on scary incidents, but the only one that comes to mind is related to "Hell House", where a local church here has taken over an abandoned Wal-Mart and leads groups through different displays. One of the displays is a re-enactment of an abortion, and it has been generating some controversy. I saw a similar depiction up in Ohio a few years ago, and it was very difficult just to stay in the room even though they were acting. The horror, the horror ...

With Halloween, and the new HPotter and Lord of the Rings movies coming out soon, there has been some blogposts generated about the good/evil in our entertainment. Mark Byron has a good post on this topic, and it has me thinking that maybe I have come down a little too hard on the Potter lad. My main concern with him is that the Potter series tends to glorify witchcraft, while Narnia and LOTR tend to have power coming from some nebulous magic source. I had also previously stated in Byron's comments section that HPotter seemed to be portrayed in present times and society, while Narnia/LOTR were clearly fantasy-lands.

My wife and I have not seen the HPotter movie or read the books, and we have steered our youngster clear of them. We will probably get around to them in a few years, or he may beat us to them and sneak in a viewing while he is visiting a friend. The best we can do is warn him, and raise him to recognize the Godly and pure, understanding that the large amount of "grey areas" we have to wade through are best done with Holy Spirit guidance.

Posted by MarcV, 4:40 PM link

Free Market Faith
FoxNews got around to posting an article about Chevy's sponsorship for the Michael W. Smith/Third Day concert tour, starting tomorrow in Atlanta. Jason Steffens posted on it, based on a NYT article, last week. The NYT article seemed to center on the "divisiveness" felt by Jewish organizations, questioning that a secular company would sponsor a Christian event.

The Fox article centers on whether or not GM is "crossing the line" by sponsoring the tour. Besides the two musical headliners, Max Lucado will be presenting something during the intermission between the bands. Here's how Fox stated it: "The Chevrolet tour includes a multimedia worship service, with preaching by the Rev. Max Lucado ..." The whole concert itself could be considered a "multimedia worship service", and I'm not sure what Lucado will be doing is "preaching" (I guess it depends on your perspective), but I'm guessing that it will be more on the evangelizing side.

In nine days I will be able to let you know, since Lady Spud and I will be attending the concert. It has been many years since I have attended a "major" venue show, so I'm looking forward to it. The last chance we had at a major concert was that big Agape show they do each summer in the middle of Pennsylvania. We had the tickets for it several months before the show in June '99, but at the beginning of that month we were taking (foster) care of two 2-month olds, so a three day camping/concert event was not going to happen for us (we ended up eating the tickets - yum).

Back to the article. I have also seen this discussed over at Christdot, and I understand some people's concern about "sell-out Christianity", but I don't see it here. Concert tours cost money to organize and prepare, and many other tours do use sponsors to help underwrite the cost. The sponsors in turn get exclusive rights to advertise. In this day of diverse entertainment/media choice, getting captive eyeballs is at a premium.

Is GM "propagating religion" and trying to associate Chevrolet as "God's product"? If people are converted, it will be helped by whoever brought them to the concert, or maybe the musical acts hitting a particular "note" for them, but not GM advertising. Some people think, though, that a Christian concert is some type of church service:

But the justification for intermingling Jesus with the latest and greatest SUVs and pickup trucks makes some uneasy. "This is surprising -- a real blurring of the lines between the commercial and the sacred," Phyllis Tickle, an expert on religious marketing for Publishers Weekly, told the Detroit Free Press. "We know that church and state are never supposed to meet, and I think it's also a bad idea for church and Wall Street to be meeting like this.''

Some expert. It is not a blurring of the lines. Church and state do meet (see my post below on "The Death of the ACLU"). This concert is not "church" and it is not something "sacred". It is an event where musical artists perform music that praises Jesus.

"I’m a little surprised at the response the Christian sponsorship has got," said Jack Feuer, media editor of AdWeek. "How is it crossing the line?" he asked. "If it was nudity or profanity in a commercial I can see that, but trying to develop a bond with a group is just good business."

GM wants to show "...how we're so family oriented and have great values." That is a little difficult for me to see, since they are one of the biggest corporations in the world and have the good/bad that go with that. They do have the right to spend their advertising dollars however they choose. How about other companies?

Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch, Shick, Miller Brewing Company, United Airlines, Bank of America and Smirnoff sponsored gay pride celebrations in San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, and Toronto in 2002, according to Motherjones.com. Anheuser-Busch contributed $81,000 to the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender Pride Celebration committee and was the largest contributor to New York Heritage of Pride, the site reported.


Finally, I have seen very little slamming of MWSmith/Lucado/Third Day. If anyone should be criticized, it should be them for accepting the sponsorship. Their labels may have told them that the tour would not be possible without a sponsor, so perhaps they are looking at this as a chance for good, despite what may appear to be "divisiveness". Once again, money concerns rears its ugly head, but in this case it's a lot of misplaced sound and fury.


Posted by MarcV, 8:52 AM link

October 29, 2002

NFL Picks Week 6 Results
Here's how the prognosticators stacked up, with a few upsets causing most to have results near .500, except for Spud, who wins this week. My heart just is not into cheering, with the sad result from Vikingland weighing heavily upon the the Tater countenance. This, from ESPN's Tuesday Morning Quarterback: "Stat of the Week: Carolina, Chicago, New England and Oakland opened a combined 12-0, and have since gone a combined 0-17." It has been raining here the past two days, to match the Bear fan's mood. Some could say it's just a game, but oh the pain of dashed hopes against the jagged cliffs of high (13-3) expectations. You didn't come here for blubbering, so I'll stop.


WEEK 8 KEVIN SPUD BYRON HEDDLE CAR AUSTIN Vegas win
ATL at NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO ATL
CHI at MIN CHI CHI MIN CHI CHI CHI MIN MIN
CLE at NYJ NYJ CLE NYJ NYJ NYJ CLE NYJ CLE
DET at BUF BUF BUF BUF BUF BUF BUF BUF BUF
OAK at KC KC KC KC KC KC KC OAK KC
PIT at BAL PIT PIT BAL PIT BAL BAL PIT PIT
SEA at DAL DAL DAL DAL DAL SEA DAL DAL SEA
TB at CAR TB TB CAR TB TB CAR TB TB
TEN at CIN TEN TEN CIN TEN CIN TEN TEN TEN
ARI at SF SF SF SF SF SF SF SF SF
DEN at NE DEN DEN DEN NE NE NE NE DEN
HOU at JAX JAX JAX JAX JAX JAX JAX JAX HOU
IND at WAS IND IND WAS IND WAS WAS ? WAS
NYG at PHI PHI PHI PHI PHI NYG PHI PHI PHI
WEEK 8 8-6 9-5 7-7 7-7 6-8 7-7 7-6
SEASON 0.569 0.560 0.631 0.541 0.472 0.500 0.583

Posted by MarcV, 3:28 PM link

The Death of the ACLU?
Michael Novak at NRO hits another one out of the park as he repudiates the ACLU for trying to remove the Ten Commandments from public life, and how they hurt themselves by their attempt at removing God from public testimony. He starts with two main reasons that the ACLU will fail:

The first reason is that a plurality of Americans holds that there are civil liberties because certain inalienable rights were endowed in us by our Creator. This belief was expressed by the Continental Congress in the carefully wrought words of the Declaration of Independence.
...
the second reason why the ACLU is committing suicide runs even deeper ... That prior to any obligation to the state, prior even to any obligation to civil society (prior both in time and in degree of importance), is the inalienable communion between the individual and the Creator, to Whom the human being owes a duty precedent to any he owes state or civil society. This duty cannot be fulfilled by any other than each individual, one by one. For each person, it is inalienable.

He also checks with the Muslim faith for these concepts, but "So far, however, no Muslim thinker has come forward to explain how Islam understands human liberty." At one time the ACLU may have been doing good work for those without a voice, but now they seem to be another narrow-minded political pest trying to promulgate their liberal utopia. If you are interested in reading an article that describes what makes the USA unique and great, read it all. I hope I can get my Sunday school teacher to go over this in class at some point.


Posted by MarcV, 8:57 AM link

This is from Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback, and it's for the Bears as they get ready to take on the Eagles:

"From now on, let's actually play like our skirts are on fire. Not just in the first half, not just in big games. Every time we step on to that field, we own it. Don't regret. There is nothing about this season so far that I regret. Leave it all on the field."

Posted by MarcV, 8:53 AM link

October 28, 2002

Howyadoin?
Jeffrey Collins takes time to contemplate on how to respond when someone asks "Howyadoin?" It can be one of those semi-mindless courtesies that we exchange, like saying "Have a nice day" when we are good-byeing. In this case our response can possibly be a reflection of our faith.

Christians often have the "happy idiot" label, given by the world, because we are strongly encouraged to show our fruits of the spirit. Joy should be the result of a life led by the Holy Spirit, and when non-believers see us, they should be curious about our source of joy. Is our witness negatively impacted when we get grumpy in public?

You have to wonder if the apostle Paul had his grumpy days, considering the thorn that kept afflicting him. I'd like to be a joyful Christian myself, but I am weak and sometimes let things get me down. Is it a sign of "lack of faith" when the joy meter is near empty?

The Lord blesses us with rain and sunshine, and part of life is dealing with the ups and downs. As in other aspects of life, if we let our downs/grumpiness control us, we lose touch with the spiritual and are left on our own. When the fruits of the spirit are evident, we have a better chance of walking in the spirit, fortified by His direction and care. So we're not perfect, and sometimes people may see a slightly ugly side, and may God forgive us if it would cause someone to stumble.

As far as giving a lie in response to howyadoin, you could say "I'd rather not say", "Glad to be alive" or just "OK" (all things being relative, OK does not really mean anything) if the "lie" part is troubling you. I put this in the same category of the ringing telephone: just because a phone rings doesn't mean you have to answer it. Just because someone asks you something doesn't mean you have to answer them, but it is rude to ignore them, so we just say something to acknowledge that they passed a breath through their vocal chords for our sake.

Posted by MarcV, 3:02 PM link

Mon. Morn. Prog. Week 8
- Ugh ... that dull sound you may be hearing are Bear fans waking up this morning, thwacking their heads against the wall, realizing yesterday wasn't a dream/nightmare, that the Bears did look as bad as they thought. I have been looking forward to the rematch with Philly since January, but now ...
My theory is that the Bears have been sandbagging for the last month, setting up Philly for the big fall coming this Sunday. They will be ready to crush the Eagles and restore honor to Halas Hall. No, I haven't been near any open glue containers, why do you ask?
- This bull*%@$ excuse about the Bears having all road games is pathetic. They are pros, they play one game a week, and they spend all week getting ready for about three hours of war. I have not heard the players use this excuse, but for the others who have, you are way off-base.
- I had a hunch Atlanta would surprise New Orleans, just wasn't brave enough to pick them. The Saints D can be torched. Philly is still the team to beat in the NFC, but they are not dominant, and the two Bay squads have too many deficiencies to be considered for the top spot.
- Nobody thought Houston could pull off the upset, and only one picker chose Seattle. Cincinnati came within a stumble of winning, but at least they are still playing hard.
- Looks like the Bruise Brothers, Pittsburgh and Cleveland, will be duking it out for a playoff spot, while Denver and San Diego are battling for top spot in the AFC.
- Is Carolina the hard luck team of the year? You can almost count on them to find a way to lose in the 4th quarter. Their D keeps them in nearly every game (except the loss to Atlanta), but they just don't have enough offensive firepower to get over the hump. The rookie running back Foster was scheduled to return this week, but his knee is not recovering properly, so he is out for the year. With him healthy and adding another decent receiver, the Panthers could be very dangerous. Their starting front 4 defensive linemen are near the best in the league, and Morgan (MLB) does not get the recognition that he should because of Lewis/Urlacher, but he is a vital cog for their team.
- Even though there is still a game left tonight, a certain spud-picker looks to win it this week. Stay tuned for more to come!

Posted by MarcV, 10:28 AM link

Hail to the Halos ... big whoop. Baseball just does not have the same interest for me anymore. This from a guy who took his mitt to Wrigley Field at the tender age of 10. I can't see spending money on attending most pro games, and the loud music when play is stopped turns me off. Now with these "thunder sticks", they have gone over the obnoxious into revolting. I did my part to kill the "wave", but the thunder sticks are too much. I'm curious to see how many teams will allow them next season.

It's funny to see a movie like The Natural, where the only background music was a pipe organ, and the fans generally behaved themselves and were knowledgeable about the game. I have a feeling that baseball will collapse on itself and will take years to financially recover. Maybe they will have to put asterisks next to the home-run records in the last decade due to steroids.

Posted by MarcV, 10:27 AM link

What did you do with your extra hour of sleep? Oh, just sleep? We lived it up at the tater-bed and stayed up 'til 12:30 (11:30 adjusted time) and watched Austin City Limits on PBS. They showed Alison Kraus and Union Station. She sure can sing purty. They had one instrumental song, and it felt like I was being cheated without hearing Ms. Kraus sing.

The next morning we had our "fallback" pancakes, and then one of those special moments, just sitting around the breakfast table: Mom looking through catalogues, Dad with comics at hand, and youngster picking out his "games" from the Toys-R-Us circular. Just an ordinary moment, but one that gets stored in permanent memory.

Posted by MarcV, 10:26 AM link

October 26, 2002

Daylight Robbing Time
Once again it's that time of year when we get back the hour of sleep we gave up last spring, and get home from work in the dark. When can we get rid of this World War II relic? Maybe we could let the spring time change be the last one. I realize Pres. Bush is a little preoccupied with Iraq and the economy (and campaigning), but we need someone to champion this.

Surely the cost can't be all that much. I am guessing a 50 KB patch to the M$ operating system of your choice would take care of most computer problems. This is actually costing our company each time we have to fiddle around with databases that have time-stamped records, so that we do not have duplicate times.

Is Daylight Savings Time so embedded in our culture that it would be a major undertaking to undo it?

Posted by MarcV, 8:15 AM link

Here's the picks for week 8. Everyone loves KC, except for Vegas. Wonder what the pros know that we don't?

WEEK 8 KEVIN SPUD BYRON HEDDLE CAR AUSTIN pts Vegas
ATL at NO NO NO NO NO NO NO 4 NO
CHI at MIN CHI CHI MIN CHI CHI CHI 1 MIN
CLE at NYJ NYJ CLE NYJ NYJ NYJ CLE 3 NYJ
DET at BUF BUF BUF BUF BUF BUF BUF 7 BUF
OAK at KC KC KC KC KC KC KC 3 OAK
PIT at BAL PIT PIT BAL PIT BAL BAL 2 PIT
SEA at DAL DAL DAL DAL DAL SEA DAL 2 DAL
TB at CAR TB TB CAR TB TB CAR 7 TB
TEN at CIN TEN TEN CIN TEN CIN TEN 5 TEN
ARI at SF SF SF SF SF SF SF 8 SF
DEN at NE DEN DEN DEN NE NE NE 3 NE
HOU at JAX JAX JAX JAX JAX JAX JAX 11 JAX
IND at WAS IND IND WAS IND WAS WAS - ?
NYG at PHI PHI PHI PHI PHI NYG PHI 7 PHI

Posted by MarcV, 8:14 AM link

October 25, 2002

Remember when I said that things would get back to normal? I'm having trouble remembering what normal is now. I hope I don't have too many more weeks like this. I supppose they help you to appreciate quieter times though.

Mark Byron was kind enough to send a link on the Minnesota statutes concerning the selection of a replacement for the recently deceased Mr. Wellstone. My first thought was: why would that have any bearings on the Democrats, since they did what they wanted to do in New Jersey. My second thought was, unfortunately, Ventura. I felt remorse at even thinking that since Mr. Wellstone just died, but I wouldn't put it past the Dems to make Jesse V. an offer he can't refuse. Jesse and Hillary forming a political tag-team - makes me shudder!

Posted by MarcV, 4:33 PM link

Observed this from yesterday's serving of ScrappleFace, so we can all breath a sigh of relief:

Relax: Everyone Is 100% Safe Now
(2002-10-24) -- Now that police have two men in custody in Maryland as part of the sniper investigation, all U.S. citizens are now completely safe, according to a government source.
...

Since the threat to public safety is gone, most state and federal law enforcement officers will be laid off in the next two weeks.

Posted by MarcV, 4:25 PM link

October 24, 2002

Can U Kartoo?
Want a change of pace from the Google/Yahoo list of sites whenever you try a web search? A new search engine site, Kartoo will give you a map of sites, where the top "hits" are represented by circular "planets", with the planets connected by threads associated with keywords. By enhancing or minimizing the keywords, you can change the map to include different sites. Placing your mouse arrow over a particular planet will cause a brief description from that particular site to pop up on the left side of the screen. I have just been trying it out since last night, and it's difficult for my logic/scientific half of my brain to work with my other (creative?) side to fully utilize this tool.

If you type in the search string "christian spud blog", a familiar name will come out in the middle as the largest planet, and have some interesting side planets. For those who have their own blogs/websites, try to come up with a description that will yield your site as the biggest planet. Another useful waste of time ... (yes, I know that's an oxymoron - and who are you calling a moron!)

Posted by MarcV, 10:54 AM link

Al-Qaeda training camps in Alabama? This must be some type of sick joke. Why, some of the finest bloggers come from Alabama!

Posted by MarcV, 10:53 AM link

October 23, 2002

Very Late Mon. Morn. Prog. Week 7
From the work busyness and poor Bear showing, NFL comments are difficult to squeeze out, so I'll try just a few:
- From trusted sources, both sides of the Bear's lines are sucking pondwater, so the Monsters of the Midway may be lucky just to be spoilers this year. This season seems to be like two seasons ago, with bad bounces on an offense dominated by dink passes, and a defense that lets teams march down the field and occasionally stops them in the red zone. Last season the Bears found ways to win, now they are finding ways to come up short. Don't know if they can find line help anytime soon, and there are several other teams with similar problems.
- My NFC darkhorse, Arizona, keeps finding ways to put up W's, but we'll see how they do against their NFC West friends, New Orleans and San Francisco.
- My AFC darkhorse, Denver, is still on track to be the top team. Curious if San Diego can keep the momentum going, while Oakland and Miami are starting to get banged up.
- I don't know how the Green Bay defense gets the job done, but they do. Pederson seemed to step in (for Favre) OK, and it won't be until Nov. 3 when they will have to decide on Brett-baby starting or not.
- I checked my preseason predictions, and I put down Cincinnati for 5 W's. Yikes, I think they'll need a few seasons to work up to that! I also didn't think Vick for Atlanta (only picked for 3 W's) was ready, but as long as he's healthy the Falcons have a chance in every game.

Posted by MarcV, 10:38 AM link

Chuck Myguts over at Redneckin' hit the big 5-0. Wow, over half a century, and still blogging and hunting strong. Go visit him and give him a manly chock on the shoulder for having the guts to make it this far.

Posted by MarcV, 10:18 AM link

October 22, 2002

I know this is kinda late, but it deserves a link. Tony Woodlief over at Sand in the Gears puts to words his memories from three years ago, when his 3 year old daughter left him to be with Jesus (WARNING - reading this post may incapacitate you with wet eyes). Before, when his site was on blogspot, he had more background stories/posts on her that spoke from his heart as well. I am thankful that he is able to write about a subject that is too difficult for me to contemplate. It has helped me deal with some faith issues.

Last night (after reading his post yesterday), I gave my 4 year old a bath when Mom was out shopping. While he was playing in the tub, he slipped and hit his chin on the tub. It was nothing major, but he did have a little bleeding from around his bottom teeth. Through his tears and hugging him, I almost felt like laughing from joy that it was not any worse, with Tony's post still fresh in my mind.

Like every day since 6/6/99, I am thankful for each day that God blesses me with Joshua, and try not to let the fear of losing Joshua overcome me. The fear can at times grip my heart with its icy claws, yet the only thing that I have to fall back on is trust, that the Lord will provide the best for me.

Posted by MarcV, 12:32 PM link

Yes, no posts yesterday. I knew I was in for a rough one on Monday when Josh gets out of bed right before I leave for work, sleepily runs into my arms sobbing, "Please don't go to work today Daddy!" If only I had listened ...
Without getting into details, I had one of those work days you get once every few months, but enough about me ... how are you? If anyone is still interested in what I can squeeze out of my noggin, stay tuned to this exciting Spud channel! There's sure to be something to elicit a mild chuckle or a semi-interested hmmm, so don't miss out.

Posted by MarcV, 9:33 AM link

NFL Picks Results Week 7
Byron not only holds his strong lead, but he gets plaudits and cheers for matching Vegas and and being the prime picker for week 7 (hurrah!). And to think, he picked every home game - tempting to do that the rest of the season, but how much fun is that? Spud took it on the chin for his "homey" picks of Chicago/Carolina, and being too enamored from last week's performance of Seattle and Jacksonville. Kevin picked Minnesota, land of a thousand lost lakes, and expansion Houston in the same week? Yikes. Well, at least he didn't have the chance to also pick Cincinnati for an upset. Nobody thought Buffalo could come in and manhandle the Dolphins, but the Bills took it to them.

WEEK 7 KEVIN SPUD BYRON HEDDLE JASON CAR AUSTIN Vegas win
BUF at MIA MIA MIA MIA MIA MIA MIA MIA MIA BUF
CAR at ATL ATL CAR ATL CAR ATL CAR ATL ATL ATL
CHI at DET DET CHI DET DET CHI DET CHI CHI DET
DEN at KC DEN KC KC DEN KC KC KC DEN DEN
JAX at BAL BAL JAX BAL BAL BAL BAL BAL BAL BAL
MIN at NYJ MIN NYJ NYJ NYJ NYJ NYJ MIN NYJ NYJ
SEA at STL STL SEA STL SF STL STL STL STL STL
SF at NO NO NO NO NO NO SF NO NO NO
HOU at CLE HOU CLE CLE CLE CLE CLE CLE CLE CLE
SD at OAK OAK OAK OAK OAK OAK OAK SD OAK SD
DAL at ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI DAL ARI ARI
TB at PHI TB PHI PHI PHI TB TB PHI PHI PHI
WAS at GB GB GB GB GB GB GB WAS GB GB
IND at PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT IND IND PIT PIT
WEEK 7 9-5 7-7 11-3 10-4 9-5 7-7 7-7 11-3
SEASON 0.569 0.549 0.657 0.550 0.529 0.483 0.5 0.590

Posted by MarcV, 9:19 AM link

Oscillating Ossuary
Foxnews had a blurb on a burial box (ossuary) from 63 AD that has the name "Jesus" inscribed on the box. For some strange reason (faith test?), "No physical artifact from the first century related to him has been discovered and verified." This box could be a first, although there is some speculation on the supporting evidence. The names inscribed were "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus", and according to Andre Lemaire (the man who discovered the box):

All three names were commonplace, but Lemaire estimates only 20 Jameses in Jerusalem during that era would have had a father named Joseph and a brother named Jesus.

Moreover, naming the brother as well as the father on an ossuary was "very unusual," Lemaire wrote. There's only one other known example in Aramaic. Thus, this particular Jesus must have had some unusual role or fame -- and Jesus of Nazareth certainly qualified, Lemaire concluded.

I was surprised at first to see some of the objections to this finding and its implications, but Jesus can inspire strong emotions.

Lemaire's claim was attacked by Robert Eisenman of California State University, Long Beach, who unlike most scholars thinks that "Jesus' existence is a very shaky thing." Since Eisenman is highly skeptical about New Testament history, he considers the new discovery "just too pat. It's just too perfect."

Amen, amen and amen - He is too perfect for us to understand! Thank God that He keeps some things as mysteries, to help fan the flame for our desire for Him, and because He loves us and wants what is best for us.

Biblical Archaeology Review editor Hershel Shanks said skepticism is to be expected. "Something so startling, so earth-shattering, raises questions about its authenticity," he said.

Posted by MarcV, 8:37 AM link

October 19, 2002

NFL Week 7 Predictions
The prognosticators squeezed their football brain cells and came up with more predictions. Home teams seem to be popular, especially for a recent Fla. arrival! We'll find out Sunday how well the home field translates to W's.

WEEK 7 KEVIN SPUD BYRON HEDDLE JASON CAR AUSTIN pts Vegas
BUF at MIA MIA MIA MIA MIA MIA MIA MIA 5 MIA
CAR at ATL ATL CAR ATL CAR ATL CAR ATL 5 ATL
CHI at DET DET CHI DET DET CHI DET CHI 3 CHI
DEN at KC DEN KC KC DEN KC KC KC 3 DEN
JAX at BAL BAL JAX BAL MIN BAL BAL BAL 1 BAL
MIN at NYJ MIN NYJ NYJ NYJ NYJ NYJ MIN 3 NYJ
SEA at STL STL SEA STL SF STL STL STL 5 STL
SF at NO NO NO NO NO NO SF NO 2 NO
HOU at CLE HOU CLE CLE CLE CLE CLE CLE 9 CLE
SD at OAK OAK OAK OAK OAK OAK OAK SD 7 OAK
DAL at ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI DAL 3 ARI
TB at PHI TB PHI PHI PHI TB TB PHI 3 PHI
WAS at GB GB GB GB GB GB GB WAS 7 GB
IND at PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT IND IND 4 PIT

Posted by MarcV, 7:12 AM link

To my loyal (2) readers, posts have been light this week due to the work thingy. My corp. boss was here this week helping with a server rebuild project, and I also had to suppport the installation of a new line out in the plant, so time for blogging was minimal. Next week things should be back to normal, whatever that is.

Posted by MarcV, 6:48 AM link

Restraint vs. Preemption
Victor Davis Hanson has an excellent postin NRO on appeasement and the effects of appeasers on history. Is advocating restraint taking the easy way out? How dangerous is it to say, "He(Saddam) may have the weapons but he would never dare to use them on us."?

The truth is that one can sound moral only through the advocacy of restraint, never preemption. Appeasement wins applause for its ethical posturing and non-belligerency; and even when the corpses later pile up it rarely earns the disgust it deserves for getting thousands killed. In contrast, preemption is always equated with blood lust; and even when it saves thousands, critics sigh that in retrospect there must have been a better way.

Mr. Hanson gives several historical examples where critics could say that preemption would have been a better way. It's not easy to put the hammer down and force Iraq to comply with what they agreed to do 11 years ago, but the risk is too great to let them go and have them dominate the region.

I've not noticed too many people commenting on the President's decision after 9/11 to include North Korea in the Axis of Evil, but he is looking pretty smart in hindsight. Before he was criticized for including them just so the list was not dominated by Arabs, but now they seem to present a legitimate threat to world peace. David French has awoken from his over-a-month slumber and posted a fairly alarming piece on the implications of a nuclear North Korea and his recommendation for a "vigorous" preemption. Ain't no restraint from his corner!


Posted by MarcV, 6:46 AM link

October 17, 2002

Top Websites
PCMag has put out on their website a list of the top 100 web sites, broken down by various categories. Just a service from your local tater-head. There's a goody on easter eggs, and not the kind the bunny drops off!

Posted by MarcV, 3:12 PM link

October 16, 2002

Twinkie on a Stick
First there was the corn dog, then the corn 'tee (manatee on a stick), frozen banana, now we have ... I don't know what to call them, but here's how you cook them:

Each Twinkie, at 160 calories and five grams of fat a pop, is impaled on a stick and frozen until firm, then dipped in a batter similar to that used to fry fish. [it's topped with powdered sugar after draining off the oil]
...
"The inside creamy part stays cool, while the outside is warm," said Rhonda Yates, a postal worker spending her vacation helping Dickson with the Twinkie booth.

Suzanne Hackett, the general manager of an English restaurant in New York City called The ChipShop, said the fried Twinkie was born in her eatery out of boredom.

"We had a very slow night in the restaurant so we decided to buy a bunch of junk food and deep fry it," Hackett said Monday. "And the Twinkies just tasted so good."

What a country! The land of innovation and risk-taking comes through again. Rather than invading Iraq, let's just set up fried Twinkie stands and have the Iraqi's take a taste of Western decadence. They'll be sure to nullify the recent election, kick Saddam out, and welcome us with open arms, just for a chance at that tasty treat.

Over a 1000 have been sold at the Arkansas state fair, and other state fairs are planning to bring them in too. In case you were worried about the nutritional ramifications:

Frances Price, a clinical nutritionist with Arkansas Children's Hospital, said parents should be cautious about their children's diet, but that eating treats is just part of being kid.

"There is room in the diet for some treats, you can't exclude it completely," Price said. "And at least fair food is part of a family activity where families walk up and down the midway."

All you have to do is figure out how many laps around the midway you have to complete to burn off a fried twinkie.


Posted by MarcV, 8:49 AM link

October 15, 2002

Bali Blast
Over at OpinionJournal, Ralph Peters gives a great background and future implications for the Indonesian Islamic terrorists. An interesting factoid that I had heard about but not really considered: Indonesia (210 million) and the US (270 million) could be considered mirror images. Indonesia - 90% Muslim, oil producer, benevolent dictatorship/military control: USA - 70 to 80% Christian, oil consumer, democracy/civilian control. If Indonesia could get serious about stomping out terrorists, then the war on terrorism could be better focused on the Arabic countries.

With Turkey/Iraq and Indonesia as "democratic/progressive" bookends to the Mideast, the Islamofascists could be looking at a squeeze play, eventually not finding anywhere to hide. The recent bombing in Bali may turn against the terrorists and improve the squeeze play scenario. Pakistan concerns me the most with respect to its potential of hindering the war on terrorism (relatively wealthy compared to Afghanistan and the other "stans", decent military resources, nuclear capability, shaky government, countryside and cities loaded with Muslim extremists).

Posted by MarcV, 10:19 AM link

NFL Picks Week 6 Results
More upsets and close games kept the winning picks down for most everybody except Heddle the Greek, who is this weeks Prime Prognosticator (polite applause - breaking into loud hand clapping and hoots!). Austin not only tail-gated and saw the game in St. Louis, he picked the Rams when everyone else gave them up for dead. Nobody picked Green Bay, and they won convincingly at the defending Super Bowl champion's home field. The Patsies (like the Bears) will be difficult to pick until they can get their ship back on course. Well, at least the Bears did not lose last weekend!

WEEK 6 KEVIN SPUD BYRON HEDDLE JASON AUSTIN Vegas win
ATL at NYG NYG NYG NYG NYG NYG NYG ? NYG
BAL at IND IND IND IND IND BAL IND IND IND
BUF at HOU BUF BUF HOU BUF BUF BUF BUF BUF
CAR at DAL CAR CAR DAL DAL DAL CAR DAL DAL
CLE at TB TB TB TB TB TB TB ? TB
DET at MIN MIN MIN MIN MIN MIN MIN MIN MIN
GB at NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE GB
NO at WAS NO NO WAS WAS WAS WAS NO NO
PIT at CIN PIT CIN PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT PIT
JAX at TEN JAX JAX JAX TEN JAX JAX JAX TEN
KC at SD SD KC SD SD KC KC SD SD
OAK at STL OAK OAK OAK OAK OAK STL OAK STL
MIA at DEN DEN DEN DEN DEN DEN MIA DEN MIA
SF at SEA SF SF SEA SF SF SEA SF SF
9-5 7-7 7-7 10-4 7-7 8-6 8-4
SEASON 0.557 0.557 0.625 0.5 0.511 0.5 0.551

Posted by MarcV, 9:18 AM link

Sound Mind
From the time that the apostle Paul wrote 1 Timothy (after being under a "comfortable" house arrest), he's near the end of his life in 2 Timothy. He was confined to a small dungeon cell and put in chains. Those who knew Paul were afraid to visit him, since it was a criminal act to be a Christian in Rome. He was cold and lonely, forsaken by friends and was anticipating his life on Earth ending in prison. Yet he still reaches out, wanting God's work to continue through his favorite pupil, Timothy.

After a greeting and faith reminders, Paul begins an exhortation in 2Tim 1:6-7 (four different translations presented):


NIV: For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

NASB: And for this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

TLB: This being so, I want to remind you to stir into flame the strength and boldness that is in you, that entered into you when I laid my hands upon your head and blessed you. For the Holy Spirit, God's gift, does not want you to be afraid of people, but to be wise and strong, and to love them and enjoy being with them.

NKJV: Therefore, I remind you to stir up the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

All of the translations stay on track for verse 6 (I like "stir up the gift"). We can take away from verse 6 the need to develop and use our talents from God. He also gives scriptural justification for the practice of laying on of hands by elders to commission people in the church.

On verse 7, though, the Living Bible (TLB) strays from the other translations, particularly with the last term. From the Spirit Filled Life Bible

sophronismos: combination of sos, safe, and phren, the mind = safe thinking. Good judgement, disciplined thought patterns, and the ability to understand and make right decisions obtained by self-control/discipline.

So Paul was encouraging Timothy to use the talents he had helped him find, to be strong and in his right mind. Translators for TLB knew of Timothy's problem with timidity, and apparently elaborated on that rather than sticking with a literal translation.

Jesus was our model for discipline; he was always in self-control, yet yielded to the Father in all that he did. Our Christian life should also have that same quality: safe-thinking, disciplined judgement with a constant seeking/listening and doing what the Holy Spirit encourages us to do.

Are you in your right mind? What would you tell the Thought Police if you were arrested and charged with subversive thinking? We are continuously challenged with this dirty environment of the world. When sin gets a toehold by way of undisciplined thought, our works for God can quickly turn to selfish gratification. What or whom do you serve? Think about it.


Posted by MarcV, 9:04 AM link

October 14, 2002

Ever get a "hankerin'" for some fresh manatee off the grill? Thanks to Possumblogger, I have a better idea of the proper preparation for that tasty delicacy. I hope he comes by sometime to show me his technique for turning it once it is in the hot oil. I'm afraid it would roll like a hotdog in water and you would not have an evenly cooked sea-cow.

The talk about hog-killing time reminded me of a few years back (12 - has it been that long?) when we briefly lived in a "holler" by the Shenandoah mountains. The road had a creek on one side and just enough space to fit a double-wide on the other side, with the yard off of the back door going up at a 45 degree angle. The neighbors next door kept fightin' cocks tied up on the corners of their double-wide, and in a chicken pen across the street as well.

It was about this time of year when I would spot some folks setting up three stout poles (about ten foot in length) in a pyramid position, tied together near the top. At first I thought they were going to build a tee-pee, then I figured out what the deal was. I've only read about a hog slaughter, but maybe someday I'll have the privilege of helping out on one.

If you like mountains, it was beautiful country up there, just not enough jobs (particularly if you were not in the poultry industry) to keep us there. Plenty of curved roads and fresh air, just like Fred First enjoys up in Floyd. The fresh air did get a little "odiferous" whenever skunk-mating season rolled around, where you would average a skunk roadkill about every two miles.

Some folks up there had an interesting way of dealing with groundhogs (varmint critters!). After they shot them, they would just drape the body on top of the fence, so you would see on some fences groundhogs in various states of decay. I never did find out if they did that to scare off other groundhogs or if it was one of those "keeping up with the Jones's" situations (dang, that's three this month the McCoys have put up!). I don't recall seeing any possum bodies, although those critters are probably wily enough to revive themselves and climb off of the fence!

Posted by MarcV, 3:13 PM link

Mon. Morn. Prog. Week 6
- Oh those Panthers! You try giving them the benefit of the doubt, and they still find a way to give it away. In the 4th quarter, Dallas gets a lucky tip, long TD completion - Dallas gets a fumble call reversed, then goes on to score the game winner on another almost-fumble reception. Think the Panthers need a few more lucky rabbit's feet sent to them? Coach Fox will need to outfox the bad ju-ju, and maybe find another QB. Weinke got in and had plenty of opportunities, but couldn't capitalize on them. On the Cowboy's final TD play, the Panthers were in the (infamous) prevent defense, and about the only thing it prevents is a W for the team using the prevent.
- What kind of tater-head would predict a Bengal victory? Think they'll stick with Kitna? They have probably already asked Boomer to come out of the booth to give them a hand, 'cause I don't know where else they are going to find any help. They would probably love to get their hands on Doug Johnson, who did quite well subbing for Vick and leading Atlanta to a mild upset of the Giants.
- Even into week 6 there are still big upsets. St. Louis with 00 victories sticks it to the (formerly) remaining undefeated Raiders with a convincing victory. The Ram D seemed to be a step quicker than the last five games, and QB Bulger was steady enough. I had given up the Titans for dead and thought Jacksonville (along with most everyone else) was coming on strong and would easily beat Tennessee. Eddie George had his first decent game this season, and the Titan D rose to the occasion.
- Four quality AFC teams squared off against each other (KC vs. SD, MIA vs. DEN), with both games going down to the wire (and poor Spud picking wrong on both games!). Both losing teams gave up three scores each in the fourth quarter, and that will usually spell doom.
- Saints and Eagles still look like the NFC championship showdown, with Green Bay daring other teams to outscore them, and Tampa Bay shutting down the opposition.
- Show of hands, how many of you like to see Coach Visor having to explain another Washington defeat? I'll be curious to see what kind of "finagling" he can do to get better O-line and receivers, although his rookie QB did have some bad breaks with tipped passes yesterday.

Posted by MarcV, 10:02 AM link

October 11, 2002

The Prognosticators have chosen. Most everyone has at least one upset special, so let's see if someone can definitively rise above the heap!

WEEK 6 KEVIN SPUD BYRON HEDDLE AUSTIN pts Vegas
ATL at NYG NYG NYG NYG NYG NYG - ?
BAL at IND IND IND IND IND IND 7 IND
BUF at HOU BUF BUF HOU BUF BUF 7 BUF
CAR at DAL CAR CAR DAL DAL CAR 2 DAL
CLE at TB TB TB TB TB TB - ?
DET at MIN MIN MIN MIN MIN MIN 5 MIN
GB at NE NE NE NE NE NE 5 NE
NO at WAS NO NO WAS WAS WAS 1 NO
PIT at CIN PIT CIN PIT PIT PIT 6 PIT
JAX at TEN JAX JAX JAX TEN JAX 2 JAX
KC at SD SD KC SD SD KC 3 SD
OAK at STL OAK OAK OAK OAK STL 8 OAK
MIA at DEN DEN DEN DEN DEN MIA 3 DEN
SF at SEA SF SF SEA SF SEA 3 SF

Posted by MarcV, 2:08 PM link

Liberate Iraq
WSJ has a good summation of a likely scenario for the Liberate-Iraq operation that will be coming soon (I'm dropping attack-Iraq, because of this from the article by Gen. McInerny: "This is not an invasion; it is liberation.") The last paragraph in the article is particularly spot-on.

Posted by MarcV, 1:27 PM link

Handy Household Helps
Working my way through this month's Family Handyman, and saw a few items that might interest my tater friends [Note - I am not getting any compensation from this, just passing along a little info]:

Shower Bulge
Do you have one of those showers that is just a narrow tub with a shower curtain? Tired of that claustrophobic feeling (especially you large-framed people), having the "dirty" curtain brush up against your clean body? A Curved Shower Rod may be just the ticket for you. Only $30, and easy installation may make this the Christmas gift that is really appreciated.

Griddle-Q
Love cooking on the grill, but have a problem making breakfast - that batter keeps pouring down through the grate? The Little Griddle Company will sell you a 20 lb. hunk of stainless steel that is made to fit on top of your grilling surface (~$180). Easy on, easy off, but I'd be careful handling it just after cooking on it!

Fridge-oven
It's a refrigerator - it's an oven - it's both! A combination refrigerator/oven (no, that's not an oxymoron), the Polara is Whirlpool's latest offering to the household that used to have it all (for about $1800). See if this fits into your "typical day":

9:00 PM You prepare a homemade lasagna dinner for tomorrow.

9:35 PM You put the lasagna in your oven.

9:36 PM Your oven activates refrigeration mode.

6:30 AM You wake up.

8:30 AM You arrive at work and go into an important meeting [when are they ever not important!].

4:15 PM Your oven begins baking the lasagna at 325°F.

5:20 PM You pick up the kids from soccer practice.

5:25 PM Your oven stops baking and keeps the lasagna warm.

6:10 PM You return home.

6:30 PM Your homemade lasagna dinner is enjoyed by all.

6:35 PM You smile, because that was so easy.

They also have a FAQ page, which is a hoot. Here's a sample:

How was the Polara™ Refrigerated Range invented?
We studied the needs of families preparing meals. Understanding those needs, coupled with brainstorming at our technology center in Casinnetta, Italy, led to the idea to combine two known competencies, cooling and cooking, into one appliance. It is this combination that represents a true innovation in meal preparation convenience.

And here I thought TV dinners were a true innovation in meal preparation convenience - let alone microwave popcorn with real butter!


Posted by MarcV, 1:25 PM link

Kofi-Annan got it last year, now Carter gets the Nobel Peace prize. Who's next, Jesse Jackson and his "ecumenical" plank?

Posted by MarcV, 8:18 AM link

October 10, 2002

The Bleat-Meister had computer problems at work, and shared it with the rest of us mere mortals. Mr. Lileks did restrain himself on not going into another "Apple Lover" rant, and I especially appreciated this plug:

Then I call up the browser. It goes to the StarTribune webpage, of course.

Today it stalled halfway through. Not uncommon. I went to another website, and there was nothing. And another: 403s down the line. I called the harried saints of the tech department (who can never be paid enough as far as I’m concerned - I cannot imagine what it’s like to know nearly everything about systems and have to deal, daily, with people who know nearly nothing about systems. It’s like being an cosmologist at an astrology convention) and learned that they had no idea what was going on. Shortly thereafter Internet access went out for the entire building.
A subject near and dear to my wallet. Just see what would happen without the computer geeks to come running and fix your problems! Ah well, at least I have a job ... (but wouldn't it be nice to have one like Lileks': show up at the office for a few hours each week and telecommute the rest of the time.)

Posted by MarcV, 2:54 PM link

My wife and I are still intent on homeschooling our youngster, mostly because of quality control and a desire to build a firm faith foundation for him. Jonah Goldberg got a few folks upset about his reference to home schooling as a "strategic retreat", but later went on to clarify. I saw this response and it is good enough to reproduce as is, even if it is a little long:

HOMESCHOOLING AND JONAH: [Rod Dreher] Glad you clarified your criticism of homeschooling, Jonah, before I finished writing my response to your anti-crunch article. As I've said here before, my wife and I are planning to homeschool our son, who just turned three. We really don't see a choice here in NYC: 1) we can't possibly afford private schooling here; 2) we would prefer our child to remain Catholic, so Catholic school is out; and 3) the NYC public schools -- give me a break! I'd love to be able to put my kid in public or parochial school, but his education is too precious to waste. I'm not one of those homeschooling types who believes that public schools are bad in their very essence. I was educated in public schools, and am well aware of their good and bad aspects, and indeed several family members are public school teachers or administrators. I am also well aware of the asinine things educrats, educational theorists and jerkwad egalitarians have forced upon the public schools (and public schoolteachers), things that have nothing to do with traditional learning, and everything to do with social engineering. One of many examples: One elementary school teacher who is a friend of mine had to put up with a severely disabled child in her class for the entire year, screaming and carrying on all the livelong day. The poor child couldn't help it; he was disabled. But it was more important to the school that they "mainstream" this disabled child that the right of the other kids in the classroom to an education was compromised. If you, as a parent, object, they call you a hard-hearted bigot. No thanks, man.

His last comment about the disruptive child could be considered a symbol of the problem in schools today. Most parents want their children to have a sound education, guided by firm and fair discipline, preparing them for life after high school, whether it is at a university of something else. Some public schools, particularly those in urban areas, are held captive by a loud liberal minority, plowing ahead in the name of PC and making sure that every student "feels good" about themselves.

Like having a screaming child in the room, folks get to the point of catering to the child, hoping that they can get him to be quiet. In the end, all of the students suffer from diversion of resources and time, as well as a loss in focus of the school's primary purpose of education. By lowering standards, the "school" boat is taking on more water than can be bailed out, and we end up having more drown than if we had kept the boat higher up in the water. If we do not insist on excellence and a solid foundation of the basics (3-R's), we will keep wasting time teaching remedial courses in the universities and falling further behind other countries.


Posted by MarcV, 9:34 AM link

October 08, 2002

Belly of the Whale
Took Lady Spud and Li'l Tater to the Jonah and the Whale movie last Sunday, and was a little disappointed by the lack of turnout, considering there was only one theater showing it (as opposed to the 4+ showing other newly released films). There were plenty of songs, but a few of the songs were a little weaker than the typical song quality of the previous videos.

The videos they have previously made work a little better for this format. They are good for keeping the interest of the Short Attention Span crowd: introduce characters and conflict, work on message, then break for silly song, followed by resolution of conflict and re-emphasis of message. The movie dragged for parts because they had to fill 80 or so minutes, and my youngster (as well as others) started to lose interest.

The best parts were the appearance of the whale and the song inside of the whale. They also did well emphasizing that we serve a God of second chances. I wonder if other parts of the movie were "overdone", trying to make the perfect movie, rather than just a goofy video. Maybe their next movie can emphasize Larry the Cucumber more to showcase his goofiness and charm.

Having said all that, I did enjoy the film and would recommend going to see it, if only to support the cause of good, Bible-based entertainment. Be sure to stay for all of the credits, because the second song during the credits is about the best song in the movie (after the gospel number in the whale's belly).

Finally, it was interesting to see the addition of a sympathetic/likable Arab character. Don't know if they had intended to use one before the terrorist attacks, but the kids seemed to laugh at his punchlines, and he fit well in the story.

Posted by MarcV, 4:36 PM link

Chuck Myguts got my guts to jiggle with chuckles and chortles as he relates a story of a fishing trip gone awry, and how Grubby swallowed his chaw. Oh for the days of idle pleasures as a yoot ...

Posted by MarcV, 4:33 PM link

More Censor-y Stuff
FoxNews has a story on the Hollywood reaction to the attempts by certain businesses to "snip" out sex and violence from movies and sell them for "family" viewing. I had heard about a lawsuit started by the Directors Guild of America, where they claim that we "commoners" do not have the right to perform the makeovers without the filmmaker's permission.

I hope the lawsuit is settled by simply sticking a label on an altered film, stating that the film has been edited for content. Once a copy of a movie is sold, the purchaser should have the right to do anything he wants with it, including reselling that copy. Do artistic rights trump property rights? I can't think of any instance where that would happen.

Directors and their advocates say companies like Clean Flicks have no right to impose their values on movies that have already been edited, rated and released.

"It's taking someone else's intellectual property and creation and changing it to suit your whims, then making a buck off it," said DGA special assignments executive Andrew Levy. "It's a violation of the law."

No, it's called a free market, since you have already been paid for the copy of the movie. If they were taking one copy and manufacturing many other copies without compensating the filmmaker, then that would be illegal. Film companies are missing a potential increase in sales by this "protect the art at all costs" attitude.

"They're not destroying the storyline," Webb [spokesman for company being sued] said. "Their basic supposition is that to be able to show them to mixed audiences and underage children, some amendment of the video has to be performed."

But Levy said an outside entity shouldn't decide what will and won't disrupt the storyline.

"It's no different than taking a book and ripping out pages, crossing out words -- and then reselling it with the author's name still on it," Levy said.

So? Caveat emptor.

I can see the argument by some people of the dangers of creating two markets-cultures: the real/"earthy" world and the church-certified/sanitized one. By sheltering ourselves from the dirt, we may miss out on the chance to reach out for those who could be saved.

"Everything we see --movies, TV shows, ads -- has too much violence and sex," she said. "If you can rent a movie with confidence that you're going to have a good experience, you don't have to worry."

But other parents are opposed to the idea.

"I think if you're doing that, you're sheltering them," said Jim Smith, 40, of Indianapolis, the father of four teens. "I've got enough trust in mine that if it's out there, it's no worse than what's really going on in the world. That's trying to dictate to them."

Up to a certain age, that's what parents do, but once the kids are old enough, then the parents have to resort to "persuasion". Until movies have an option for editing out objectionable content, the only choice we have is either to watch or not. The technology for movies on DVD should be at the point where you could choose between original/un-cut and edited versions. TV stations edit movies, but apparently the "artists" feel differently about people owning copies of edited movies.

I could go on for awhile about the sad state of TV as well. The commercials are getting so bad that you can't even watch another "safe" program without getting bombarded by trash in the ads. Fox TV has been notorious for pushing the borders with their commercials, and it gets to the point where you could not let your 10 year old son watch the baseball playoffs because of the bad commercials. Last night on ABC they were heavily promoting NYPD Blues, showing a commercial where a woman slips off her shirt, down to her bra, then gets in a sexual situation with a man.

Besides a mute button, maybe we need a "fuzz" button to make the commercials semi-opaque. I know I just tried to champion the cause of free markets a few paragraphs ago, and this is the result of excess freedom. I'm not sure what can be done to stem the tide of this constant barrage of using sex to sell a product.

Posted by MarcV, 11:45 AM link

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