Blogging Around: The "Contrast and Compare" Edition

Going Rogue on Going Rogue

I actually read her book, Going Rogue, and have a few things to say about it that have not already been said. Honest.

I should warn you, however, that since most readers will judge my sanity, my intelligence and my lineage back to 10th century Ireland solely on whether I liked the book or not, I am not going to say whether I liked to book or not, or even whether or not I like Sarah Palin. I am going to rise above the fray and the politics of personal destruction to talk about Going Rogue from the perspective that is proper to this column: family and “the spiritual truths found in daily life,” as my Headline Bistro bio states that this column is about.

For those who want to read the book without actually reading the book, try Brian Caulfield's summary. I might add that I am not that interested in Ms. Palin or the book but found the article interesting.

Nihilist T-Shirt

On the front: Nothing matters!

On the back: And what if it did?

Just because it made me laugh. From Maverick Philosopher.


Roman Catholic Cop

We buy things from these strangers who come into our homes either on television or in person and spend our money easily. Why are we so hesitant to believe the Church when she tells us what the truth is about faith and morals. We know that Jesus loved us so much that he started the Church. He put the people in place to lead it after he was gone saying whatever you say is valid here on Earth and in Heaven. Jesus said that he will be with the church until the end of times and it will never fail. ...

...Society changes but truth does not. That's another reason to follow the church as opposed to the slick snake oil salesmen that try to sell us something that sounds too exciting to be true. Those salesman have another goal in mind besides our good. The church's goal is to save souls.

I've been enjoying this blog written by a police officer who blends his daily life with thoughtful reflections about Catholic life. Start with the entire story behind this post and then peruse his entire blog.

Howard Roark vs. George Bailey

My purpose, however, is not to defend the genius of these creators but to compare two of their protagonists, The Fountainhead’s Howard Roark and Wonderful Life’s George Bailey.

To anyone familiar with both works it would seem at first glance that the two characters could not be more different. A closer look, however, reveals that they are not only similar but a variation on a common archetype.

An interesting read from First Things although I take issue with the author's contention that most people don't understand George Bailey's character properly. (Unless, of course, he's being humorous ... in which case, he's not doing it very well.) My contention in return would be that the author does not understand that Capra's main point was that there are millions of George Bailey's everywhere and that their sacrifices are on the same level. Not, as the jaded author assumes, that we give ourselves credit for being George Bailey while sacrificing nothing. I know too many examples of Bailey-esque behavior in real life to agree with him on that. At any rate, go read and form your own opinions.

Francis Ford Coppola’s Blacula

In 1992 one of the world’s most celebrated directors, fresh off of frightening the entire world with his daughter’s acting in The Godfather III, decided to continue on in the horror vein (pun intended) and released what was being touted as the most faithful adaptation of the novel Dracula ever put to film. ... But with all the additions the film made to the story (really weird for Coppola, a director well known for slavishly sticking to his source materials), it’s not Bram Stoker’s Dracula. If it’s anything, it’s Francis Ford Coppola’s Blacula.

The B-Movie Catechism writes an entertaining article which makes the point that Rose would have made after watching it ... it she'd ever seen a Blacula movie. Although if she reads that post, she'll never have to watch one. He covers the genre thorougly. Now, Hannah and her friends with their love of bad movies and B-movies ... they might bite. (Ha! Yes, pun intended! Can you doubt it!)

Bamboo Ain't All It's Cracked Up to Be ... Like Eco-Friendly

Bamboo's story sounds clear and appealing: like hemp, the plant grows quickly without the irrigation, pesticides or fertilizer often used to grow cotton. It's often sold as "biodegradable," and the plant's antimicrobial properties have been used to market athletic clothes made from the fiber. "People are switching from cotton to bamboo," says Aarti Doshi, regional manager for bamboo-fabric distributor Doshi Group, based in Mumbai, India.

When I looked below the surface, though, I found that bamboo fabric is less "eco" and "sustainable" than it seems. The bamboo used in textiles has to be heavily manipulated to go from stem to store. To create fabric, it's chopped up and dissolved in toxic solvents—the same process that recycles wood scraps into viscose or rayon. Indeed, bamboo fabric technically is rayon.

I've been meaning to mention this for some time as I had wondered for some time how one could essentially take wood and turn it into fabric without serious manipulation. Not that I don't love bamboo/cotton blends. I do. But let's know what we're buying is what I'm saying. Get the whole story here.

Dog Flu

The canine influenza vaccine is a “lifestyle” vaccine in that it is intended for dogs at risk for exposure to C.I.V., including those that participate in activities with many other dogs or those housed in communal facilities, particularly in communities where the virus is prevalent. Dogs that may benefit from canine influenza vaccination include those that are already receiving the kennel cough vaccine for Bordetella because the risk groups are the same.

I never heard of this before our vet sent out fliers. Looking it up I saw that there is indeed a dog flu and it is indeed dangerous if your dog is socially active ... in our case that would mean weekly trips to the dog park. I mentioned this to Hannah and she said, "Is that what that is? All summer at the vet we would see dogs start coughing and then suddenly get pneumonia. Do they have a vaccine now?" (She works as a vet tech during the summer breaks.) It is a series of two shots, given three to four weeks apart. Wash and Zoe are due for their second shot this weekend and then, it's back to the dog park on the weekends! Woohoo!

Betty Duffy

When he attempted to move the table, I sat on it, so he couldn’t lift it. And I kept sitting on it for about five hours. We had turned on the Christmas music, and brought the decorations down from the attic. The kids were excited about putting up the tree, but there would be no tree raising that night, because mommy was sitting on the table, and would not get off. There would also be no dinner that night, no bedtime prayer—because mommy had to win, and she was willing to do anything to stake her territory.

Another new-to-me blog that I've been enjoying reading. Betty infuses everything with her ponderings about living faith and you've gotta love someone who puts herself out there as in the excerpt above. I mean, seriously, we all admit our faults here and there but who really puts out the dirty laundry like that? And we've all got it, folks. All of us. (Well, except Tom ... I have to say that 25 years of marriage still leave me thinking I'm married to probably the nicest person on the planet. Poor guy. Because he isn't, that's for sure!)

Sandra Bullock Meets Live-Your-Faith Christians ... And It Makes An Impression

Tuohy isn't like some hypocritical church-goers she's known, adds Bullock. "The beauty of Leigh Anne was one of my biggest questions was how people use their faith and their religion as a banner," she says. "And then they don't do the right thing, but they go 'I'm a good Christian and I go to church and this is the way you should live your life.'"

Bullock admits she was wary of Christians before she met the Tuohys. "Whereas...before I was like, do not give me a lecture on how to live my life when I know I'm a pretty decent human being," says the actress. "I might not go to church everyday, but I know I do the right thing or try to. You're going to church and you're still sleeping around on your wife...how are you better than I am? So I finally met people who walk the walk."

Bullock's newest movie, The Blind Side, has been recommended to me in the strongest terms by a diverse group of Christian friends. I definitely am interested in seeing it so it was interesting to get this glimpse of Bullock's interaction with the inspirations for the movie. Via canturbury tales, via New Advent.

Tim Burton's Batman

... during production, attempts at leaks were the main problems. A publicist was offered 10,000 pounds for pictures of Nicholson as the Joker and two reels of footage were stolen, making it a hellish experience for Burton. All of this was added to the stress of having the ending being written while they were filming it. But on the bright side, Anton Furst's production design and Bob Ringwood's costume design were a success. Furst designed the sets with an expressionistic influence and deliberately mixed architectural styles to create a harsh, ugly environment. Ringwood had the different challenge of making Keaton, a man with a medium frame, appear large and intimidating. ...

I have been enjoying Rose's occasional series covering Tim Burton's career and this piece about Batman was full of interesting bits of info that made me want to watch the movie again.