Stop the Tweets! |
by Amanda Bush |
A few weeks ago I blogged about the perils of Twitter. Nice to know that there are at least 18 possible arguments against microblogging from moral philosophy.
Take a look and have a laugh.
Note: No one at The Point, BreakPoint Online, or Prison Fellowship is responsible for the content of any of the blogs listed above, except where noted. A blog’s presence does not necessarily imply endorsement. |
Stop the Tweets! |
by Amanda Bush |
A few weeks ago I blogged about the perils of Twitter. Nice to know that there are at least 18 possible arguments against microblogging from moral philosophy.
Take a look and have a laugh.
When Python met Spock |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
I was saving this for a fun Friday video, but we have tomorrow off, so it can be a fun Thursday video instead. (But do stop back in tomorrow morning for a couple of Independence Day posts.) Enjoy!
H/T Roger Overton
For our fellow hymn-lovers |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
The following was printed in my choir bulletin last night. I thought you all would appreciate it.
’Helllllllp me! Hellllllp me!’ |
by Anne Morse |
I couldn't help but think, after reading a recent BreakPoint commentary, of another famous fly in American history. You science fiction/horror film buffs know what fly I mean: This one.
For those not familiar with The Fly (spoiler alert), it's about a scientist named Andre who is attempting to perfect a teleportation machine. Convinced that it will work, after experiments teleporting the family cat and a rodent, he decides to teleport himself. Unbeknownst to Andre, a common house fly flies into the cabin. The horrifying result: Both Andre and the fly became hybrids. The scientist has the fly's head, arm/claw, and leg, while the fly has a human head (although, bizarrely, both the scientist and the fly appear to have at least a portion of the scientist's brains).
In the end, the scientist asks his wife to help him commit suicide, which she does. But what about the hybrid fly? The scientist's brother, Francois, and Inspector Charas, who is investigating Andre's death, are out in the garden. As Wikipedia puts it, they "hear a tiny voice coming from a nearby spider's web. They make the dreadful discovery of a tiny creature with Andre's emaciated head and arm with the body of a fly, screaming 'Help me! Help me!' as it is about to be devoured by a large spider. The inspector, horrified by the sight, mercifully crushes the prey and the predator with a stone, putting the fly out of its misery."
Francois (played by Vincent Price) tells the inspector that he is as guilty of murder as Andre's wife, who helped Andre commit suicide. Both of them killed a human being.
The same argument cannot be made for Obama's fly, who was....just a fly, destined to die within 20-30 days, anyway. Absolutely no moral equivalence with humans. I'm glad Obama killed it--flies carry germs.
(Image © 20th Century Fox)
Amish crime suspense parody |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
I think Mary DeMuth may have invented a new subgenre.
Outreach |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
Daily roundup |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
Daily roundup |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
President Obama Thwarts a Terrorist Attack |
by Dennis Babish |
President Obama thwarted the attack while he was conducting an interview on CNBC. At first he tried diplomacy by saying, "Get out of here." When that didn't work, he resorted to violence, while the camera was still rolling.
Okay, it really wasn't a terrorist attack, but the way mainstream media is fawning all over the President, you'd think that's what he did.
But not everyone is happy. The PETA folks were in shock. They couldn't believe their admired President had killed a helpless animal. They thought he should have continued his diplomacy effort.
Of course, the Democrats blamed President Bush for introducing the fly into the studio, while Nancy Pelosi, in a hastily called news conference, blamed the CIA for lying to her about whether the fly had any WMDs on it. She also said Americans don't torture flies.*
Despite all of the hoopla, President Obama was quite pleased with himself and said, "That was pretty impressive, wasn't it?"
So look out, Bin Laden. We have a President that will smack you down.
*Not really.
Hope Sprouts in Britain |
by David Carlson |
For months, I've been thinking that not only will the sun finally set on the British Empire, it will set on Britain itself. The country seems to be losing its mind: from the Archbishop of Canterbury suggesting that British Muslims be able to live under Sharia Law, to a new law that will force religious organizations--including churches--to hire people who do not share their beliefs.
But now, I see a sprout of hope--and good old common sense.
(Image © James Fraser for the Telegraph)
Daily roundup |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
Preach it, brother |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
Jon Acuff recently has had some excellent posts at Stuff Christians Like, poking some gentle but thought-provoking fun at how the church tends to treat singles. Yesterday there was this, under the title "Asking our kids to be a mini Jesus":
Thought for the Day: C.S. Lewis |
by Diane Singer |
"I must often be glad that certain past prayers of my own were not granted." -- C.S. Lewis in Christian Reflections
Daily roundup |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
Worst car review ever |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
My friend Mike sent me Jeremy Clarkson's review of the new Honda Insight. I understand the article has been making the rounds lately, so you may have already seen it. For those of you who haven't, it's a must read.
Mike's favorite part was "It’s terrible. Biblically terrible. Possibly the worst new car money can buy. It’s the first car I’ve ever considered crashing into a tree, on purpose, so I didn’t have to drive it any more."
Me, I was rather partial to "The Honda’s petrol engine . . . makes a noise worse than someone else’s crying baby on an airliner. It’s worse than the sound of your parachute failing to open. Really, to get an idea of how awful it is, you’d have to sit a dog on a ham slicer."
But you have to read the whole thing to get the full (hilarious) effect.
(Image courtesy of the Times Online)
Banjo workout |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
Today's fun Friday video comes courtesy of the Blog Dad, who lives, eats, sleeps, and breathes bluegrass. Maybe it'll serve as inspiration for all of us who need to exercise more.
Daily roundup |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
Quit hiding stuff from Nancy! |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi keeps insisting that even though she and her aides and associates were briefed on CIA interrogation techniques, she wasn't fully aware of what was going on. Most uninformative briefings those must have been.
This raises the question: What else hasn't the Speaker been told?
(Image © Lauren Victoria Burke for the AP)
A new era of civility? |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
’Eats, Shoots & Leaves’ was right |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
I’ll just stay down, thanks |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
Here's a fun Friday video: Lileks demonstrates exactly how yours truly feels about heights.
Well, not exactly. I wouldn't have made it six or eight feet off the ground. Heck, I wouldn't have made it within twenty feet of the chair.
(Image courtesy of James Lileks)
Barnyard reign of terror halted |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
No comment |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
This should be a comfort |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
Daily roundup |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
Biblical Smacktalk |
by Catherine Larson |
You know, you really can find everything in the Bible, including some good examples of smacktalk. I think I'm going to use this the next time I want to intimidate someone in a good game of Settlers of Catan. (Lori, this needs to be your quiet time as you work on your smacktalk skills; you know I'm talking to you. Don't bring me anymore of the Pride and Prejudice trash talk next time you come to my house; "no compliments to your mother" is not the same thing as saying "your momma's so old she still owes Moses a dollar.")
But seriously, or at least somewhat seriously, I was just thinking today that I need a little more swag. The thought popped up rather suprisingly as I was reading about one of the Gators I liked watching most, and how his college antics are playing out now that he's playing for the Bulls in the NBA. Apparently, while I love to love Joakim Noah, other people love to hate him. Noah doesn't let it bother him; he thrives on the jeers. In fact, Greenburg tells us that the seersucker-wearing, 6-foot-11 center with the hair that just won't quit is pretty comfortable in his skin. And that's where the swagger comes in. It's game-play.
It's sort of shocking really to find that boasting has a place in the Bible. I don't expect it there. But when I do a search I discover that while most kinds of boasting are bad, there are a few kinds that get a holy high five. Here's the low-down on the swag that's legit:
1) When behemoth Philistines insist on dissing your God, it's okay to holler back. Come prepared with a slingshot, though.
2) When you know your Dad really can beat up their dad, but that He chooses to show justice, kindness, and righteousness instead.
3) When your homeskillet gets it right, it's okay to boast on the day of the Lord.
Now, I need to get back to my hoop shot. As one king said (at least in my translation), it's one thing to boast when you're putting on the jersey, it's another thing when you're taking it off.
(Image © Kathy Willens for the AP)
Prayer isn’t a crime |
by Kristine Steakley |
But it might look like one.
A motorist passing by a dilapidated Lowcountry business mistook three people walking about with their hands raised in the air for victims of a robbery in progress.
With their hands held high in prayer, Love House Ministries Pastor Randy Roberts and The Parish Church of St. Helena (Episcopal) lay prayer members Roz Dixon and Karen Kusko — all wearing business attire — were walking outside a run-down building they hope to turn into a respite. The group was praying that God would deliver the building for their needs.
Five Beaufort County Sheriff's Office vehicles responded in minutes after the call came into dispatch. Cpl. Robin McIntosh said it was reported as an armed robbery.
Daily roundup |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
Gift idea |
by Kristine Steakley |
For those of you who like to do your Christmas shopping early (what is wrong with you?), here's one you can add to your list for Gina, Catherine, Lori, me and all the other book nerds of your acquaintance.
The Elements of Style, the definitive writing guide by E.B. White and William Strunk Jr., turns 50 on Thursday. To mark the anniversary, its publisher has released an elegantly bound, gold-embossed hardcover edition containing notes about the book's history.
This would be a much better gift than the one suggested by the Dorothy Parker quote at the end of the NPR piece:
"If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they're happy."
(Image © Longman)
If CNN had been at the Boston Tea Party |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
People who need Peeple |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
The Exodus for the twenty-first century |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
Please stand well back from the computer as you read this. If someone's going to get struck by lightning over it, I'd rather it be me than you guys. (Thanks for the link, Allen!)
Daily roundup |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
Twitter and TMI |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
Continuing the Twitter conversation -- this is priceless:
Imagine the informational misery previous generations were spared because Twitter wasn't around yet.
Michelangelo: "Sistine Chapel ceiling larger than it looks; back is killing me."
Christopher Columbus: "No sign of land yet."
Robert Peary: "Man, it's cold up here."
(Image © 20th Century Fox)
When all else fails... |
by Zoe Sandvig |
The Twouble with Twitter |
by Jason Bruce |
Gina's video post on Twitter shows a good example of using humor to expose the flaws of mankind -- see also Zoe's article in BreakPoint WorldView Magazine (click here for a free subscription).
People are jumping on the social media bandwagon in big numbers, and businesses and organizations are discovering it as an effective communication or public relations tool (check out BreakPoint on FaceBook and Twitter). With all its popularity, one can’t still avoid the truth that if uncontrolled, social networking sites can be isolating and addicting -- just as in the video, where many are “randomly bragging about our unexceptional lives… and have become reliant on this constant state of self-affirmation.” Or in Biblical terms, committing idolatry.
Genius book titles |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
It's been a pretty good week for these. First there was Mister Ego and the Bubble of Love (thanks, again, to Bookshelves of Doom for that one). I don't even begin to know what to make of that. Then there was Batman and Philosophy: The Dark Knight of the Soul, which wins the award in the subcategory of Genius Subtitle.
Anyone got any more?
(Image © Namaste Publishing)
Daily roundup |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
In the land of the twits |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
Despite the fact that BreakPoint has its own Twitter (Twitterpage? Twitterspot? Twitterspace?), this video from BoingBoing is too funny not to post. (Contains profanity.)
Daily roundup |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
Top 10 Reasons to Go to Church |
by Dennis Babish |
Bill Shuler, the pastor of the Capital Life Church in Arlington, Virginia, posted the following on the Fox Forum:
1. It’s a way to get a healthy glow without makeup.
2. Elvis started out in a church choir … so can you.
3. Goodness and mercy will follow you all the rest of your life–which are better than the IRS or FBI.
4. In this economy, it might be good to be hooked up with Someone who can turn water into wine. . . .
Read the rest here!
(Image © FourthChurch.org)
I’m a Loner, Dottie. A Rebel. |
by Allen Thornburgh |
As many claims as there are of how "dirty" and "mean-spirited" presidential campaigns have become, I beg to differ, based upon one photo alone. The fact that I have never before been made aware of this photo of now-President Obama riding the X-1 is proof-positive that, however "nasty" political campaigns may have been in the past, they have quite clearly become downright genteel.
Daily roundup |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
Aha! |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
You math geniuses thought I was just being a ditz when I talked about expressing ideas in equations. Now look -- they've built a whole contest around it!
I think some of our Pointificators ought to try for this. If you get one published, maybe we'll throw in a prize of our own.
(Image © Bob Staake for The Washington Post)
How Violent Video Games Prepare Our Children for Armageddon |
by Anne Morse |
My college-age son sent me this funny Onion "news" report, possibly because I'm frequently on his case about playing violent video games. Something to make you laugh on a Monday....
(Note: Page contains some profanity and sexually themed content.)
Daily roundup |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
Busted! |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
In these days of officials committing ethical violations left and right, you gotta love a headline that reads, "[San Francisco's] Mayor Caught with Bottled Water!"
Lileks handles the non-story nicely:
Fix on something small and symbolic, and demonize it;
Propose a response that does little to address the fundamental problem;
Forbid the thing to others;
Reserve its use for yourself;
Adopt a penitent tone when caught which underscores the hypocrisy and makes you look like a dweeb for apologizing for something which, while petty, you have infused with moral failings.
(Image © Newsom for California)
This explains a lot |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
BreakPoint Worldview Magazine: Against the Flow |
by Catherine Larson |
Growing up near the ocean, I learned early on about currents, the kind that can pull a child under and leave her choking on a mouthful of salt water. A childhood friend of mine misunderstood her parents once when they warned her about the undertow. She heard “under toad.” And the explanation of something which can pull you under and drag you off course fit her mental picture of a large underwater toad grabbing at her ankles. It frightened her from enjoying the ocean for years to come. Later on, when she realized her mistake, we used to laugh about the evil “under toad.” And though her mental picture changed, she never underestimated its strength.
When I got to college, one of my mentors used to often talk about Christian discipleship in terms of currents in a river. He would say that you learn quickly that staying still is actually moving backward. The only way to move against the flow is to paddle hard.
This month’s issue of BreakPoint Worldview Magazine reminds me just how much we need to paddle hard to live in alignment with God’s ways. Thankfully, we don’t paddle in our own strength. The Holy Spirit empowers us in this difficult counter-cultural journey. But paddle we must.
Continue reading "BreakPoint Worldview Magazine: Against the Flow" »
Bloggers Anonymous |
by Gina Dalfonzo |
Fess up, Allen -- you're moonlighting as a comic strip artist named Wiley, aren't you?