Archive for November, 2009
Are the Jewish People an Invention?
Saturday, November 28th, 2009Is the narrative that defines the Jewish people an invention, or does it have a factual basis? It’s an invention according to a book by a professor at Tel Aviv University. In a review in the NY Times Patricia Cohen discusses the method author Shlomo Sand utilizes to build his case. Central to his thesis [...]
Colonizing Ethiopia?
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009Agro-imperialism. Andrew Rice asks if there is such a thing. And the answer is, of course there is. It goes by another name–colonialism. As when the French appropriated lands and extracted peanut oil from Senegal. Or the Belgians rubber, cocoa, and all manner of other natural products from Congo. Or the U.S. latex from Liberia. [...]
Does Exercise Make You Less Anxious?
Monday, November 23rd, 2009The Well blog on the NY Times reports studies that show exercise makes you less anxious. One study of laboratory rats showed that exercise creates new brain cells that are functionally different from existing cells in anxiety-induced rats. The new cells created from running did not have the characteristics of existing cells that had anxiety [...]
The Church of Oprah
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009As Oprah prepares to wind down her broadcast talk show Elizabeth Tenety asks in the Washington Post if her followers will lose their spiritual guide. Some evangelical Christians have condemned her for not adhering to Christian orthodoxy as they teach it, as if daytime television were indeed the church of Oprah. She’s also been criticized for her [...]
Broadcast Model Creaking, What’s Next?
Saturday, November 21st, 2009As with general circulation print, broadcast television faces economic challenges it’s never faced before. But the interesting change that is submerged in the conversation about the future is the changing role media plays in shaping awareness and perception.
Broadcast media were primary culture shapers in the past. Radio changed how families interacted. Morning radio programs such [...]
Does God Evolve?
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009A few years ago I heard Bishop John Shelby Spong say the Bible is the story of pre-scientific, tribal people who lived before it was known that germs cause disease. He wasn’t denigrating the Bible. He was emphasizing that context should be considered when we read scripture. Obviously, context affected how people viewed the supernatural [...]
Is Faith Relevant?
Saturday, November 14th, 2009I needed to break free two frozen screws to remove a solenoid from a starter motor. Lacking an impact driver, I went to the local Pep Boys auto store. I waited as a salesperson explained a tire sale to a customer. The customer weighed the prices and decided all were too expensive. He was a [...]