published by Jonathan on Mon, 10/15/2007 - 10:38
Who has had more of his books optioned by Hollywood than any other living writer? What's your guess?
A recent installment of The Writer's Almanac reveals that it is Elmore Leonard:
...born in New Orleans (1925), who published 22 novels before he had his first best-seller in 1985 with his novel Glitz. His books didn't catch on right away because, unlike most crime novels, they weren't mysteries, they didn't have a recurring detective as a hero, and they were more about the characters than the plot.
More of Elmore Leonard's books have been optioned by Hollywood than those of any other living novelist. Nineteen of them have become movies, but he thinks only three or four of those movies are any good.
A listing of the novels made into films:
published by Jonathan on Sat, 10/13/2007 - 22:04
A difficult question is how should a Christian engage her culture. From opposite sides, Jim Wallis and James Dobson are two guys who are out there wielding power and influence to try to shape the course of political debate. My distaste for Dobson is well documented.
Politics aside, for me personally it's a question I wonder about. What's the best way for me to engage those around me...and the news about what Christianity means to most young people these days is also on my mind:
Majorities of young people in America describe modern-day Christianity as judgmental, hypocritical and anti-gay. What's more, many Christians don't even want to call themselves "Christian" because of the baggage that accompanies the label.
A new book based on research by the California-based research firm The Barna Group found that church attitudes about people in general and gays in particular are driving a negative image of the Christian faith among people ages 16-29.
When I listened to the following passage recently, it jumped out at me. Paul's advice to the Thessalonians about engaging non-Christians is interesting and may be the same advice that we need today:
“11 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”
- 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
published by Jonathan on Sat, 10/13/2007 - 14:31
Elliot's soccer team lost today, 1-0. Elliot played goalie in the first half and pitched a shut-out (he received a bunch of help from his defense who hardly ever let the ball get close enough for Elliot to touch it).
Finn's team won 8 to 5. Finn played about half the game. All 8 of his team's goals were scored when he was in the game. All 5 the the opposing team's goals were scored when he was out of it. Get this...Finn scored seven of his team's goals and had an assist on the other. Lisa was getting embarrassed.
published by Jonathan on Sat, 10/13/2007 - 14:14
The Week magazine summarizes a section from GQ's interview with Colin Powell:
Colin Powell has come to believe that democracy is not for everyone, says Walter Isaacson in GQ. As secretary of state, it was part of Powell’s job to promote President Bush’s message of self-determination and representative government around the world. But in Middle Eastern capitals, he found that this idealistic vision didn’t have universal appeal. “When I dealt with the Arab world, the word ‘democracy’ frightened them,” Powell says. “A Saudi leader said to me, ‘Colin, please, give us a break. Do you really want to see Jeffersonian democracy in Saudi Arabia? Do you know what would happen? Fundamentalists would win, and there wouldn’t be any more elections.’” Powell heard the same thing in Egypt and in other Islamic nations. “They all were saying, ‘Take a look at our history and where we are. You can talk to us about reform, but don’t tell us to become Jeffersonian democracies tomorrow. It’s not possible.” In hindsight, Powell has come to doubt that America can remake the world in its own image. “We have a tendency to lecture and perhaps not think things through. We have to be careful what we wish for. Are we happy with the democracy that Hamas gave us? There are some places that are not ready for the kind of democracy we find so attractive to ourselves. They are not culturally ready for it and they are not historically ready for it.”
published by Jonathan on Sat, 10/13/2007 - 13:46
In recent years I've been confused by a couple things I've read.
On the one hand, I read that Americans lead the world in charitable giving, setting a record in 2006 by giving $300 billion.
On the other hand, I read that America is near the bottom of the industrialized nations in terms of foreign aid as a fraction of its GNP. That is, it's total giving is big but not so much as a fraction of its economy. The $20 billion number quoted in the Wikipedia article is a lot smaller than the $300 billion mentioned above. From this I assumed that the US is a great giver but mostly gives to itself.
An editorial in the LA Times by Robert Reich (Is Harvard a charity? Most donations go to institutions that serve the rich; they shouldn't be fully tax-deductible) reveals another side of this issue.
This year's charitable donations are expected to total more than $200 billion, a record. But a big portion of this impressive sum -- especially from the wealthy, who have the most to donate -- is going to culture palaces: to the operas, art museums, symphonies and theaters where the wealthy spend much of their leisure time. It's also being donated to the universities they attended and expect their children to attend, perhaps with the added inducement of knowing that these schools often practice a kind of affirmative action for "legacies."
It turns out that only an estimated 10% of all charitable deductions are directed at the poor.
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