Jonathan's blog

Civil Forum

published by Jonathan on Sat, 08/16/2008 - 23:21

I watched Rick Warren's Civil Forum tonight. I really liked the way he emphasized, at both the beginning and the end, the value of civil discourse and resisting the urge to demonize your political opponents. That's a message that both sides need to hear if they are really interested in the best interest of our country.

I thought McCain did a good job saying what his supporters and potential supporters want to hear. There were a couple of things that especially caught my attention in light of my post from yesterday on Marital (In)Fidelity. The first was McCain's answer to the question about what was the greatest moral failure in his life. I knew the true answer was the failure of his first marriage, but I wasn't sure at first if he was going to give that answer. I was pleasantly surprised that he did. The other was in answer to the question about adoption when he related the story of Cindy bringing home their adopted daughter from Bangladesh. I thought that was a testament to the strength and fidelity of his second marriageâ€¦that they made adoption a part of it. I didn't think he should have kept apologizing for telling anecdotes. The combination of telling so many stories and drawing so much attention to the fact that he was doing it highlighted his old codger liability. The commentators of Fox were emphasizing how McCain was often answering the questions before Warren even finished them. I think the commentators were complimenting him, but that wasn't a good sign in my opinionâ€¦though his supporters probably liked it.

I thought Obama did an OK job though I doubt he made any significant gains and agreed with the Fox commentators that he didn't make a winning play on the abortion question. Maybe it wasn't possible for him to do so given his positions on the issue and those of his party, but that was one of his main openings that this venue provided. I also thought he should have mentioned Al Qaeda at least in passing in his â€œis there evilâ€ answer, though I wish McCain would have also mentioned a few other examples than just Al Qaeda.

Tags:

Politics

Marital (In)Fidelity

published by Jonathan on Fri, 08/15/2008 - 23:39

The Matthew 25 Network has released a video spot (h/t The Brody File) that emphasizes Obama's fidelity to his wife and family and implicitly how that contrasts with McCain (who left his first wife for his current one despite the fact that she had been seriously injured in a car accident). Some folks question Obama's character based, for example, on associations with Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers, Tony Rezko, etc. On the other hand, folks don't seem to be too concerned about what McCain's infidelity says about his character.

Here's the Obama ad:

Cenk Uygur (The Young Turks: link) raised the comparison of Edward's actions with McCain's, and when Alan Colmes did the same it apparently sparked some debate on Fox News (Newshounds: link, link). Here's a link to an LA Times article that describes how McCain's relationships with the Reagans and others were seriously strained by how he treated his first wife (link).

Speaking of Edwards, I don't have too high expectations for Limbaugh, but the other day he went way, way out of bounds while speculating on what motivated Edwards to cheat on Elizabeth (Media Matters: link).

Tags:

Politics

I Should Be Extremely Happy in Your Company: A Novel of Lewis and Clark

published by Jonathan on Wed, 08/13/2008 - 22:25

I recently finished reading "I Should Be Extremely Happy in Your Company: A Novel of Lewis and Clark" by Brian Hall. From the Publisher's Weekly review:

Narrated in multiple distinct voices, this retelling of the story of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's legendary expedition is less a historical blow-by-blow than an engaging character study of the two men. Hall focuses on a few significant episodes in the journey-such as the hunting accident that wounds Lewis and causes him to sink into his famous depression-as seen through the eyes of Lewis, Sacagawea, Clark and Toussaint Charbonneau, Sacagawea's French fur trader husband. The result is a memorable portrait of the expedition leaders.

I started reading it a couple years ago. It was slow going as I read it it little chunks. I don't think that was the best way to read this book. I had a hard time keeping track of who was narrating (Lewis or Clark) and the Sacagawea sections were also difficult to follow (intentionally, intending to represent her native American perspective).

As I finally neared the end, I managed to "lose" the book about a year ago while on vacation in Tennessee. It was one of those rare occasions when I was sitting in the the back of the van, and I stuck the book in a seat-back pouch. Fast forward a year, I'm finally in the back of the van again and find the book and finally finished it off.

I think I would have liked the first-person, faux-diary format better if it had stuck with one narrator. I'm glad to have learned a bit about Lewis and Clark but figure it would have been more enjoyable in bigger chunks.

Tags:

Books

Born into Brothels

published by Jonathan on Tue, 08/12/2008 - 22:22

I recently watched the documentary film Born Into Brothels (2004,R). From Wikipedia:

Briski, a documentary photographer, went to Kolkata (Calcutta) to photograph prostitutes. While there, she befriended their children and offered to teach the children photography to reciprocate being allowed to photograph their mothers. The children were given cameras so they could learn photography and possibly improve their lives. Much of their work was used in the film, and the filmmakers recorded the classes as well as daily life in the red light district. The children's work was exhibited, and one boy was even sent to a photography conference in Amsterdam. Briski also recorded her efforts to place the children in boarding schools.

It was great seeing the joy that the cameras and learning brought to the kids lives and, of course, heartbreaking to witness the conditions in which they live.

I give it 4 out of 5.

Tags:

Entertainment

Movies

4 out of 5