Reformation Day

Osteen Math

I was just listening to a critique of a sermon by Joel Osteen. While there are a number of doctrinal items to get into, I want to tackle the fundamental inability that this man has to think. He states that God did not create you to be average. By implication that means that God created us all the be above average. Now logically what does that do to the average? That's right it raises the bar for what average is. Then of course if Osteen is right, God must have made us all better than that again. Again the average raises. Can you see how such a simple foolish teaching is undone by the mere application of logic. I really wish that Osteen would just stop embarassing those of us Christians who have actually read the bible and know it is not a order form for personal wealth, health, and other dreams.

Decommissioning

Today I had a Seinfeld moment, I retired a pair of jeans that lasted since before I my marriage. In fact, from before I first dated my wife. I retired a great pair of Old Navy jeans that I believe I have had and loved for 10 years. They had a great life and I wore them right out. farewell my "baby blue".

Endorsements

Endorsements by retired generals and secretaries of state make sense. What I don't understand is why newspapers endorse candidates and propositions. I further don't understand why, if the "news" outlets like newspapers advocate officially for particular candidates and propositions, that we still assume that what they present on political issue is still fairly presented news. Talk radio is upfront in identifying what perspective they are coming from, be that right or left. However, newspapers attempt to position themselves are reporting the news, then on the heels of that assertion put their names behind a particular cause.

I think that they misunderstand their role in our society, or perhaps we have mistaken that place (For a brief history you can look here). Not all papers make such endorsements, but those who do defy my imagination that they believe that we should assume that their reporting will not be swayed by what the editorial board has endorsed. In an election where the media coverage of the candidates comes to us from both a news and an entertainment perspective, the endorsement of newspapers only complicates matter. The news media is hard enough to trust and believe without them talking out of both sides of their mouths endorsing a candidate and not really advocating for him or her.

Why Jon Stewart is Bad for Politics

More than ever before, this year's presidential race has been covered, and I would suggest covered to death. Whereas you can expect the mainstream media outlets, radio talk shows, and newspapers to cover the race, where things have truly gotten out of hand is when the entertainment media covers the candidates.

Shows like "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart", The Colbert Report", and others who focus on concocting a blend of comedy and political satire are all too often the source for some voters for information on politics. Candidates taking these shows seriously enough that they put in appearances on them only complicates the matter. With the slick nature of candidate adds, the use of popular musicians, and celebrity endorsements, it becomes hard to actually sift through the pop culture smoke screen to determine what the candidates actually are all about.

We are voting for an image and we can't even be sure what image is the authentic image of the candidate. The mainstream media offers up "news" in such a fashion that you have a hard time knowing if you are hearing about Madonna's divorce on Today or Extra. Getting political coverage on both blurs our understanding of what news is and renders us unable to really learn about the facts involved in the presidential race.

Gone is the declaration of Walter Cronkite declaration that "That's the way it was" is more than long gone, if it was in fact ever really there. Now we are left to doubt that anyone is really presenting "Just the fact."

British Television Invasion

The bright folks at ABC have gone where a great many others have in the recent past to get their ideas for their new fall shows. This time rather than raiding televisions past like NBC did to bring us American Gladiators and Night Rider, ABC simply skipped across the pond and just like The Office, we are now presented with Life On Mars. The original series was great. I just started working my way through it again as BBC America ran a marathon of reruns leading up to the American versions launch. My concern what would the American adaptation work. Coupling did not translate well. The British version was witty and sharp, were as the American dull and plodding. The Office translated well to greater success stateside. The premiere was good, not great, and so far I still prefer the original, but it has the chance to be good. The casting of Harvey Keitel as Gene Hunt is a master stroke. Check out Life On Mars, and find out what it would be like to wake up in 1973.

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