Ben Stein, who you may recognize from TV, has a documentary coming out in theaters on April 18th. It's called "expelled," and has to do with how scientists and teachers who question darwinism are silenced, fired, ridiculed, etc. It's kind of a "free speech" issue.
I watched the trailers on the site and it looks very provocative. I'm sure it will be a great conversation starter at school, home, and the workplace.
Here's some information about the web site.
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EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed A quick guide to viewing the Website
The following links will help you understand the film at a glance. Included here are individual page links…or you can navigate the site directly from the Home Page. But be sure that you visit each of the six pages below, in order to get a feel for the project!
From the Home Page…start with the Trailer…a clip from Ben Stein speaking to a college audience. It gives you an indication of the controversy surrounding the issues that the film addresses. Ben’s Trailer http://www.expelledthemovie.com/playground.php
Next…go to the blog, and scroll down the page to Ben Stein’s Introductory Blog…nearly eighteen hundred people have responded already, since the site first launched August 22, 2007. Remember…the “responses” are all about a film that no one has even seen yet….so take them with a grain of salt! The Blog http://www.expelledthemovie.com/blog/
Then…go to the News page. The film made the front page of the New York Times on September 27, 2007. A link to the story is the top article. News Page http://www.expelledthemovie.com/news.php
Complete with all of the assets that you would find in a hard-copy press kit, this online press room was created specifically for your uses Press Room http://www.expelledthemovie.com/press_room.php
Last, but not least…go to Big Science Academy parody Yearbook, and follow the links to the Class Officers, etcetera. The Playground is just that…a place on the site where the issues are treated with a decidedly tongue-in-cheek fashion. Big Science Academy http://www.expelledthemovie.com/bigscienceacademy.php
I'm 47 and I've never seen the almost religious fervor about a political candidate before. He has struck a deep chord in the hearts of millions with two simple concepts. Hope. And Change. Something that many have longed for for ages.
I'm not sure how to put it into words, but the heartfelt passion for what obama represents is soul-stirring. All I can think is that is how people must have felt about JFK. He was a president everyone loved and believed in. And it wasn't because of his "policies." And it wasn't because he led a perfect life. He had the courage to believe. Believe that we could BE. That we could DO. He had heart and vision.
I suppose Reagan was in a similar vein, uniting the country to be and do again. But there's something different about obama that I can't get my finger on. I think it's because he puts even LESS emphasis on policy than Reagan, and more on principle. I think people are fed up with facts and figures and endless wrangling about the details... while the forest is being overlooked.
You've got to admit he's likeable. Like you wish he were your dad, or brother, or uncle, or husband, or counselor, or pastor, or boss, or friend. You want to run up to him and have him put his arms around you, give you a big smile, and tell you everything's going to be alright. And then he'll tell you, "Now here's what you're gonna have to do. Go do it. I believe in you!" And you run off happy and do it.
And then you mix in the fact that he is half white/half black, that he's got a name that sounds like a mix of Iraq and Osama, and you get to thinking, hey, maybe this guy does represent everybody! He is a walking advertisement for unity and diversity after what many people think has been way too long an era of segregation, partisanship, and fracture.
And, if you hear his wife speak, she's just as impassioned. She's a believer. She's not just "supporting her man."
So, obama has stepped into a vacuum that has been looking to be filled for some time. And the current is swelling. It is non-verbal. It is non-rational. It just is. It has it's own energy that is much bigger than obama itself. That's why it's called a "movement." Obama happens to be the catalyst.
And it makes all the other candidates look like carboard figures. Just men. Mortal. Pedestrian. Run of the mill. Uninspiring.
And that's why on an emotional level I feel like i WANT to vote for this guy even though I have absolutely NO idea what he stands for. And i almost don't care. Scarey, huh?
I'm not saying i AM going to vote for him. I'm just saying I WANT to. I can imagine going into the ballot booth and coming out smiling! Like actually feeling good! Excited! Yes! I'm a winner!I'm just hoping he has policies i can stomach. I'm kind of afraid to look.
So, to go with my former prediction, I think the contest for the white house will be between obama and mccain, with obama winning. mccain represents the old guard, the elderly white man's establishment, status quo. War, tough times, enemies, grin and bear it, strength and might... A charicature of what has been. WWII mentality. So "20th century." Obama represents unity, compassion, dialogue, negotiation, bringing together, toleration, hope, belief, youth, change. So "21st century." (And no matter what hillary does, she will be equated with the old guard... the last 20 years of either a bush or a clinton in the white house. I don't think people are looking to make that 28! We don't do monarchy here.)
To sum up, there's a dictum I find eerily true... "If you're not a liberal when you're in your 20's you have no heart. If you're not a conservative when you're in your 50's you have no brain!" In this election cycle I think the tinman is going to get his wish, not the scarecrow. We are looking for, and will get, a heart. A beating, imperfect, authentic, humble, generous, learning, growing, human heart.
If you have not gotten swept up into this current yet, watch these videos. If you cry at Hallmark commercials, you better get your tissues out. :) Be careful. You may get converted! You may become a believer.
Go to http://politicalmarkets.cnn.com/ and register to "invest" fake money by buying "stock" in various politicians and political issues. Create your own portfolio.
Here are 4 examples of current stocks for sale, and what the price is for various candidates. ($1 = 1% chance that they will win.)
Who will win the Republican Presidential nomination?
Who will be picked as the Republican Vice-Presidential candidate?
Who will win the Democratic Presidential nomination?
Who will be picked as the Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate?
If you want my Pres/VP picks at the moment...
Republican: McCain/Huckabee
Democratic: Obama/Clinton
Winner: Obama/Clinton
These are my predictions, not my desires!! What are your predictions? Post a comment.
When Shakespear was 46 years old the King James Bible was published. If you go to Psalm 46 and count 46 words from the beginning you will find "shake." If you count 46 words from the end you will find "spear."
When a friend sent this to me on youtube I questioned whether it was true or not. However, a little super-sleuthing on my part and I came up with this link. http://www.ksbj.org/eblogs/morningShow/?p=113
Give it a listen when you have a minute.
PS This friend also won the free Sting CD I gave away!!! Thanks for being a subscriber!
If you haven't had too much of Christmas music already you might want to listen or download these songs done by a band at my church. I think it's very professional. They should have charged for it! Their loss. Your gain.
Click this link to go to the folder. Once open, the songs are listed at the bottom.
To listen to a song click on it. To download it, right click on it and choose "Save target as." Once you've downloaded you can listen to them on your computer, make a cd, or upload to your ipod/mp3 player.
Today I was on "Step 1, Day 15" in the Life Recovery Devotional. I was surprised to see the topic, since today is Christmas! Let me replicate it here, if you don't mind...
"There are times in life when we are powerless over the circumstances around us. We're not in the driver's seat. We have to do things someone else's way. And often, the whole experience is uncomfortable and frightening. During these times we can find hope and serenity in the promises of God.
"Mary was in her early teens when destiny took her by the hand. She was greeted by an angel who announced that she had been chosen by God to be the mother of the Messiah. She found herself pregnant, much to the confusion of her fiance, family, friends, and neighbors. After the angel returned to visit her fiance, he believed Mary's story and married her. When the time came to give birth, she and Joseph were required to travel the long, difficult journey to Bethlehem. There, in a smelly stable carved out of the side of a rocky hill, she delivered the baby. No one but her husband was there to attend Jesus' birth.
"What power did she have over her circumstances? She was powerless under the will of God, the decree of the state, the limitations of their finacial poverty, and the demands of her body. And yet, by holding on to the promises God had given her, she found serenity in her powerlessness and gave birth to the Savior. When we are powerless, we can find serenity by holding on to the pormises of God. When we do this, we will find new life and salvation being born again into our lives."
For more info on the Life Recovery Devotional go here...
I take this color test periodically and am always amazed at how accurate it is. This time everything looks really close except for the paragraph that talks about withdrawn and intraverted. _______________________
"You are trying to establish yourself and make an impact despite the fact that everything around you seems to be against you - putting up barriers, but don't be unduly concerned: you have the right ideas and come what may, they will soon be manifested and appreciated.
Always anxious to accept the role of the leader, as indeed you often work well with people - but try to stay out of the limelight. You'd like a life of ease with no one to rock the boat and someone who understands you is so important in your life.
There are times of everyone's life when 'compromise' is the name of the game and this is the time, so you have no alternative but to forgo some pleasures for the time being. You are capable of achieving satisfaction through physical activity.
For some time now your hopes and expectations have been denied and because of this you are becoming withdrawn and introverted. Continual disappointment has manifested itself in you becoming both suspicious and restrained you have become withdrawn from others and have receded more and more into yourself. You seem to have lost your innate enthusiasm and imaginative nature, for fear that you may be carried away by it only to find that you are wasting your time. You are loath to trust people, as in the past your trust has been misplaced. You seem to be keeping yourself cautiously aloof from others. At this moment in time your attitude is to trust nobody - until they can prove themselves to you.
You are presently worried about your future and you feel that whatever you do will go wrong. At this time you are your own worst enemy. All the disappointment that you have experienced, coupled with the fear that there is no point in formulating fresh goals, have led to anxiety. You would like recognition and a position of trust but you are concerned that these hopes and dreams may not be realised. You are very argumentative and insistent that you are right - maybe you are - but you are pushing too hard. Take it easy, let go, and smile. Smiling and agreeing with people works wonders - try it and see. " ________________________
If you'd like to take the test, go here. NOTE: Before you take the test, disable your pop-up blocker. If you don't, you will not only not get your results, but lose everything you entered, and have to start over. And for this test I think it's always best to go with your first gut entries.
Another test using colors is found here. These are my results from that... _________________________________________
Your Existing Situation Imaginative and sensitive; seeking an outlet for these qualities--especially in the company of someone equally sensitive. Interest and enthusiasm are readily aroused by the unusual or the adventurous.
Your Stress Sources Feels that life has far more to offer and that there are still important things to be achieved--that life must be experienced to the fullest. As a result, he pursues his objectives with a fierce intensity that will not let go of things. Becomes deeply involved and runs the risk of being unable to view things with sufficient objectivity, or calmly enough; is therefore in danger of becoming agitated and of exhausting his nervous energy. Cannot leave things alone and feels he can only be at peace when he has finally reached his goal.
Your Restrained Characteristics The situation is preventing him from establishing himself, but he feels he must make the best of things as they are. Emotionally inhibited. Feels forced to compromise, making it difficult for him to form a stable emotional attachment.
Your Desired Objective Shelves his ambitions and forgoes his desire for prestige as he prefers to take things easily and indulge his longing for comfort and security.
Your Actual Problem The fear that he might be prevented from achieving the things he wants leads him to play his part with an urgent and hectic intensity.
In the morning I read scripture from index cards that I have made up. Sometimes it is just a snippet of a scripture that I haven't taken the time to look up yet and write out officially. Once in awhile, I pull it out and look it up on the internet, choose the translation i like the best, print it out, and put it on the index card.
I hadn't pulled one out recently, but today it was a card where I had scribbled, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" For some reason I decided to pull this one out to officialize it today. I felt pretty strongly about this one, for no apparent reason.
About a half hour later I was listening to a new life live radio broadcast and this guy had called in and talked about his struggle with passivity. John Townsend suggested that he look at scriptures, such as, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Steve Arterburn moved right on past it and John said, "He needs that!" About a minute later John said, "It's in Romans 8."
Coincendence?
As Archbishop William Temple notes, coincidences occur much more frequently when we pray.
In any case, I looked it up online and chose the New Living Translation. Romans 8:31-32. Hope it blesses you.
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
