Well if you ask me...

2012 Best Picture Nominees

My Pick:The Artist

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The Artist
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With pleasure.

Certainly one of my favorite movies of the year. A delightful story, likable characters, and an adorable dog. I love black & white photography, and I was excited to see how a modern silent film would work. It was fantastic.

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The Descendants
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you give your children enough money to do something but not enough to do nothing.

An excellent film about a man in the midst of becoming a widower and single father to children he doesn’t really know, forced to handle the immense pressure of an impending business decision that will affect his extended family and have consequences on the land and culture he loves. George Clooney was fantastic and a brilliant choice for this role. One scene has Clooney running down the street to a friend’s home in flip-flops – the scene has no critical impact on the film, but I got such a big kick out of it, I couldn’t resist mentioning it.

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Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
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It’s never gonna make sense because it doesn’t!

A great story about a boy and his family getting to know one another. I enjoyed the film and I thought the performances were fantastic. I can’t decide, however, how I feel about 9/11 being the backdrop for the story. If this boy had lost his father to some other tragedy, the story would have worked, but we might not have cared as much, which makes it feel like a cheap trick. On the other hand, being set in New York, with 9/11 as the foundation, give all the participants in the story (there are many) something they share very deeply. I was worried about the film because 9/11 was such a personal tragedy, but I enjoyed it. I’m a sucker for any story about father and son.

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The Help
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Put that in the book.

An excellent film, some fantastic performances, and a few great stories, but the outcome of the film doesn’t address the bigger issues at hand. It told the story it intended to tell, and did so well, but there is a bigger story that seems to have been ignored.

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Hugo
*

If you lose your purpose, it’s like you’re broken.

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Midnight in Paris
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I’m having an insight now. It’s a minor one …

This was my kind of film. A ridiculous fantasy about an aspiring writer, extreme characterizations, and Woody Allen’s comedy. In any other year, this might be my pick for best picture. I don’t think it will win against this years competition. (spoiler? I especially loved the way Hemingway was portrayed – exactly as I would have imagined him.)

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Moneyball
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How can you not be romantic about baseball?

I wrote briefly about this film just after I watched it. A great film featuring three fantastic actors about the greatest game in the world. The film is full of great quotes too. Best picture? Probably not, but absolutely my favorite film of the year.

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The Tree of Life
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Tell us a story from before we can remember.

I saw this quite a while ago at a press screening and wrote about it some time after that. The film touches on serious issues for any father and I found myself especially moved having seen it with my son. I’ve since seen it again. It didn’t clear up any of my questions, but I still think it was a fantastic film.

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War Horse
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Wherever you are, I will find you and I will bring you home.

The only best picture nominee I haven’t seen.

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Interesting Sites – 2/12/2012

• “Inspired” by Apple – link
• Cold, Hard Football Facts.com: The Truth Hurts – link
• Small Fire – Home – link

see more interesting sites

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Great Ideas – 2/6/2012

• iPad Arcade Cabinet ~ Chris Pirillo – link
• Freakonomics » A Solution to Car Accident Rubbernecking: Setting Screens – link
• ‪Dyslexie is a typeface for dyslectics.‬‏ – YouTube – link

• BillGuardâ„¢

  Free protection for your credit cards and debit cards – link

• Homepage

  I Had Cancer. – link

• Save Our Inboxes! Adopt the Email Charter! – link
• Bing New Airport Maps for Bing – Bing Maps Blog – Site Blogs – Bing Community – link
• Draw – Google Correlate – link
• A Call to Men – link
• Code Year – link
• Fast Food – Ads vs. Reality – link
• Kempt – The Phone Stack – link

• Pizza Topping Markup Calculator

  Centives – link

• US teacher tracks his bike rides by GPS – and creates some stunning artwork – link
• Printing a Home – link

see more great ideas

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Go Big Blue

With the big game on the way, I thought I’d share some great NFL or Super Bowl posts I’ve read recently.

Every Christian should attend a Super Bowl party.

Barnabas Piper has one request

For one day a year, and one day only, be a football fan.

Be a fan for one day for a single purpose: People. Football draws people like moths to a porch light, and through football you can connect with people. There isn’t another social or entertainment event during the year that draws people like the Super Bowl. So take advantage of it!

For one evening take off the earbuds, turn off the Xbox, close the book, and go to a Super Bowl party. Or host one. Or crash one. Just be a part of what people are doing! It doesn’t matter that you don’t like football, don’t care about football, or don’t know about football. Share the food, enjoy the commercials, cringe at the halftime show, and give a football fan the opportunity to show off his knowledge of the game.

I couldn’t agree more. I also could not disagree more with some of the comments. Some people, just don’t get it. I even think it’s okay to skip church for the game – imagine that!

Along the same lines, shares some of the human stories for those who are not football fans. I’m not sure I buy all the hype about Tom Brady (a quarterback for whom the league keeps changing the rules), but it’s very interesting reading.

Freakonomics.com consistently publishes excellent content, but I especially enjoy the Football Freakonomics section. I made note of a couple good posts over the last few weeks. (NOTE: FiveThirtyEight also does some great stuff with sports stats, but last year they did not post anything about the Super Bowl until the day of the game.)

Does defense really win championships?

Posted before the conference championship games …

Certainly didn’t work out that way for those two games, did it. Of course, season long stats are meaningless in predicting games anyway – so maybe this is nothing more than an excuse to talk about football.

Who’s Peaking

In this post, they examine something called “Passer Rating Differential” (PRD), promoted by coldhardfootballfacts.com as the best indicator of which team is peaking. I didn’t bother to track the PRD of the remaining teams after this post, but using the PRDs at the end of the regular season as the only measure, I paid attention to how teams fared in each matchup. In AFC matchups, the team with the higher (better) PRD won five of the five matchups. In the NFC, only one out of five.

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Two Cents Each – 2/3/2012

On Media and Messages

It’s important to be mindful of these concerns, but I don’t agree that "Twitter has no context worth speaking of."

Why You Should Postpone College – Forbes

One of the biggest lies sold to high school students is that they must attend college right out of high school …

Postponing college is scary, especially in a country where paying for college is so expensive and such an uncertainly, but I wish more students considered this option.

or at all …

No doubt, college is valuable, but many students would be better off if they invested in something else – something they can succeed at!</dd>

Would You Have Aborted Her? | Denny Burk

I am so glad she wasn’t victim to abortion, and I certainly would not have chosen abortion even if I knew my child to be had a partial limb, but I am still very glad the government doesn’t make this decision for women.</dl>

more

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One Down, Eleven to Go

New Year’s Day is not just the first day of the year, it’s my birthday, so it’s a great time to reflect on my life and my goals. But I don’t do “official” resolutions. Long term goals are one thing, but a year long committment to a new and better habit seems counterproductive to me. When I do make promises to myself, and I fall short, I do what I think most people do. I start over at a later date. Hitching my self improvement habits to the first of the year makes it too tempting to start over at the beginning of the next year – even when I give up on a habit in February.

This is why I love the idea of 12 in 12. It wasn’t my idea, and I’ve seen veriatios on the theme before, but when I read about it in early January I decided it was for me. It just makes more sense to me to shorten the cycle.

Before I get to my progress report for January, I have to confess. I broke the rules a bit – as I plan to do in February. I’ve been working on several habits over the last 14 months or so and I wanted to use the new year as a way to get my act together. I decided I would take those goals and wrap them up in routines I could do in January and February.

I promise to play by the rules starting in March.

January was about my morning routine. I like to get up at four a.m, read my Bible, catch up on my reading, get some writing done, and get to work. I’ve been following this routine “on and off” for a couple of years, but the problem is that when I get off the routine, I really get off track.

Keeping in the spirit of 12 in 12, I decided the goal for January was to finish my daily reading before 6a.m. I was able to do on all but three of the days in January. As expected, the rest of the routine pretty much fell in line.

I’ll fill you in on February’s mission next month. I’ll give you a hint – I had a very delicious BBG burger last night for dinner and chased it down with some peanut butter cups.

Try it for yourself in February, and follow along with other 12ers on Twitter.

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One More Look at the Republican Slate

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking, talking, and writing about the Republican primary recently, so I decided not to post about the election today as I had originally planned. I did, however, have a bunch of links I wanted to share today, and since I wanted to comment on each one …

I changed plans again.

• I was wrong

  Politicians, of course, are terrible at this. They are never wrong, apparently, and when they are, spin instead of admitting it. Which not only hurts their trustworthiness, it prevents them from learning anything.

• Another Check on the Campaign’s Truthiness

  each [interesting] statement [is graded] as true, mostly true, half-true, mostly false, false or “pants on fire”

• The Great Taxer

  With all the comparisons to Reagan, I thought this was worth reflecting on

  In fact, no peacetime president has raised taxes so much on so many people. This is not a criticism: the tale of those increases tells you a lot about what was right with President Reagan’s leadership, and what’s wrong with the leadership of George W. Bush.

• Paul – Paul pursued strategy of publishing controversial newsletters

  I mentioned one problem I have with Ron Paul the other day, but this also bothers me. I don’t mean to single Paul out as the only racist in the field. Gingrich and Santorum both use language (AND refuse to rebuke statements by supporters) that indicate either racism or a strategy to pander to racism for votes. I don’t recall anything from Romney, but as a Mormon he has probably been exposed to bit of racist ideology.

• Romney – What do Mormon’s believe?

  Our Constitution clearly states there should be no religious test and I support that in a very big way, but I’ve got a real problem with what some people believe. In other words, I think he has every right to run for and hold public office, but I think any thinking person should be aware of what he believes – because it’s evidence of how he thinks.

• Gingrich – The “War on Christianity”

  I’ve got a lot of problems with this guy, but this kind of rhetoric is maddening to me. An historian as brilliant as he, should know better.

• Santorum

  I know this isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but this sums it up for me. I’ve said before that I think Santorum seems like a nice enough guy and very sincere. On the matters of character and integrity he beats Gingrich and Romney hands down, but I want no part of his brand of big government.

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Sharing a few “classics?” with Billy

While Billy was home for Christmas break, we watched a lot of movies (more here). We got a chance to watch a few I’ve already seen – some were on his list to watch, some were movies I’ve wanted to share with him for a while.

All of them were better than I remember

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The Game
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Discovering the object of the game *is* the object of the game.

 

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Panic Room
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Ever read any Poe?

 

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Robocop
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Excuse me, I have to go. Somewhere there is a crime happening.

 

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January – Movie Month

While Billy was home for Christmas break we watched a lot of movies. We watched a few I had already seen (over here), but we also saw quite a few that I had not seen yet. As always, I’ve listed them pretty much in the order I enjoyed them.

The Best

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Moneyball
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I pay you to get on first, not get thrown out at second.

Jonah Hill has been great in every role I’ve seen him play. If you’ve read my other movie posts, you probably know that I also think Brad Pitt is fantastic. You may have also gathered that I’m a huge fan of baseball.

For me, another quote from the movie sums it all up – How can you not get romantic about baseball?

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13 Assassins
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Soon, this quiet town will become a bloodbath.

Billy and I enjoy Samurai movies. This one was fantastic. We also enjoy just as much how much difficulty we have keeping up with the characters, and how much effort we put into doing a better job keeping up. We also enjoy discussing how silly the hair is and how similar all these movies are.

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Saint Ralph
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Like flying to the moon is possible, but it’s never going to happen…

A quirky fun movie with an inspirational story that was, in my opinion, not too hokey.

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Bill Cunningham New York
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He who seeks beauty will find it.

I thoroughly enjoy documentaries about interesting people obsessed with things for which I have no interest. This was no exception.

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Alphaville
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I’m fine, thanks. Don’t mention it.

I enjoy science fiction, I enjoy noir, I enjoy secret agents, and I like black and white. So, I enjoyed this film even though I had no idea what was going on.

The Worst

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Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
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Sorry ain’t going to pay the bills, chico.

I think Philip Seymour Hoffman is brilliant and I absolutely love Marisa Tomei. There performances are the only thing that saved this movie for me. I love this kind of surprising plot, but perhaps I didn’t enjoy this film as much as I should have because it didn’t quite live up to the standard of Fargo.

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Never Let Me Go
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You have to know who you are, and what you are. It’s the only way to lead decent lives.

The most disappointing film on this list for me. I was really looking forward to it. Mulligan, Knightley, and Garfield were fantastic (as usual), but they didn’t have much to work with.

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The Road
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If he is not the word of God, then God never spoke.

I’m a big fan of films that explore what happens to us under the worst of circumstances. I was hoping for more from this film when I saw the trailer for the first time, and this would also have been a huge disappointment if I hadn’t already gotten wind of how bad it was. For me, it was better than expected, but it could have been much better.

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Bronson
*

Oh spare me the Oliver Twist routine, Charlie love. You need to build your audience.

Hardy is fantastic, but aside from the time I got to spend with my son (watching and discussing it after) it was a waste of time.

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The Peacemaker
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Yep, this is my plan.

I think Kidman and Clooney are both fantastic – in other films! Best way to sum this one up is another quote from the film – “Well, this is meaningless.” Exactly!

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GOP Wide Open Now?

Last night’s Republican debate may have made this a much more interesting primary year.

I agree with most commentators that a Gingrich win on Tuesday in Florida would almost seal his chance for victory. It will demonstrate that his win in South Carolina may not have been an accident and it will help voters rally around one candidate. I don’t agree, however, that this is necessarily a good thing. I know voters would like to settle on a candidate they can all get behind, but I think finding the right candidate is more important than finding one quickly. I think a long hard-fought primary with several contenders is a good thing.

Which is why I so much enjoyed last night’s debate. It’s the first one I’ve watched, and I have to believe that it could blow the whole thing open. What I expected, as most others did I presume, was for Romney or Gingrich to “run away” with the debate. They both went into the debate virtually tied and well out in front of the other two, they both are skilled politicians, at least one of them is brilliant (though both of them fall victim to pseudo-science and hogwash), and they both have better than average debate skills. What I saw was the two of them locked in attacks against one another, allowing the other two to be heard.

Before I start in on what I liked and didn’t like, I have to tip my hand – I absolutely can’t stand two of these guys (Romney and Gingrich), and I think another (Santorum) might be a nice guy but some of his policies scare the devil out of me (and some of his campaign behavior has been expedient at best). I think Paul should be the nominee, but that doesn’t mean I would vote for him against Obama.

Now for a rundown.

Rick Santorum

If you have to choose a winner, Santorum was it.

What I Liked

His admonition of the personal attacks in answers to questions was, in a word, brilliant. As a strategy to win the crowd and the debate, it was brilliant, but it worked even better than he could have planned because I think he really meant it. I think he was truly aggravated. It was nice to see that kind of passion and I think it gave him the confidence he needed to speak his mind on other issues.

I also liked that he pointed out how many times in the past he has been right or on the right side of the issues while the other candidates were not. I also liked how he emphasized that government does not give us rights – God does. I don’t want Santorum’s brand of theocracy, but he was right about that.

What I Didn’t Like

His characterization of Obama. It might have been good strategy, but I don’t like that he panders to the stereotypes and fears people have – “Chavez, Castro, and Obama,” Really?

The “global warming hoax” ?

“I believe in faith and reason.” Um, no you don’t.

Newt Gingrich

What I Liked

I haven’t read the details of his immigration plans, but it sounded reasonable – though not as reasonable as Paul’s, in my opinion, and I did NOT like the way he attacked Romney on this.

What I Didn’t Like

Mr. Gingrich is hung up on his own brilliance so much sometimes, that he forgets to behave. I was absolutely sick over his attempt to hop on the Santorum wagon as an excuse to not answer questions about attacks he made against Romney. Santorum was right, the candidates were spending too much time attacking one another, but that doesn’t mean that the moderator cannot ask questions about attacks made in other forums. Gingrich had an opportunity to defend himself and he did not.

There was much more. Others have described him better than I …

He sounded bad, he looked bad, and generally came across like a weasel who had finally been cornered by Animal Control.Newt loses it</p> </blockquote>

From the very beginning of his career, he has always had the mind of an undisciplined grad student and the soul of Boss Tweed. It’s not always easy to tell if he wants raw political power in order to peddle his pseudo-scientific theories, his revisionist historical notions, and his bad fiction—or the reverse. He definitely has a queasy affinity for schemes to wield terrestrial power from beyond the earth’s atmosphere, from his early enthusiasm for space weaponry to his lifelong admiration for Asimov’s Foundation trilogy.

His lunar colony pledge might be harmless or at least amusing if he were not in the habit of lecturing poor people on the hard realities of personal responsibility, and scoffing at those types of public investment that don’t engage his interest in warfare or some other form of domination. As it is, his speech down in Cocoa is mainly a sign that he’s now confident enough of victory in Florida primary that he’s inviting voters into his private club house and showing them his comic books. Gingrich’s Moon Shot</p> </blockquote>

Newt Gignrich is a Saul Alinsky Republican

Mitt Romney

What I Liked

I like that he didn’t let Gingrich beat him up. He may not have done a great job explaining his immigration policies (and I may not agree with them), but he stood up for them.

I also liked that he pointed out Gingrich’s excuse making.

Wouldn’t it be nice if people didn’t make accusations somewhere else?

Exactly!

What I Didn’t Like

I don’t trust this guy. Perhaps it is my bias against mormonism, but I don’t believe a word this guy says and I don’t like the way he hides behind technicalities.

Ron Paul

What I Liked

If Paul were not hooked on the fiction that the private sector can solve everyone’s problem, I would be campaigning for him door to door. I wish he would apply his distrust for government to other forms of institutionalized power.

With that caveat, I agreed with everything he said last night.

And this line …

This subject does not interest me a whole lot. The question does.

Excellent!

What I Didn’t Like

I think he could have done a better job explaining his immigration policies. Perhaps leaving out the details was a good strategy move, but I think he could have separated himself from the others a bit more. I also think he missed a huge opportunity on the “why you can defeat Obama?” question. In my opinion, he is the only candidate that is not exactly like Obama – he should have been more clear pointing that out.

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Class Warfare?

[Mitt Romney is] liv(ing) in a world of Swiss bank accounts and Cayman Island accounts and making $20 million for no work. … Newt Gingrich

Bill Gates: People Like Me Don’t Pay Enough In Taxes

Fox & Friends Again Calls for Tax Hike On Poor

BTW, her “double taxation” argument, while very popular, is not accurate at all. When you earn money on your old earnings, you are not being taxed again. This is a very common misconception.

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GOP Race Too Close to Call

I’ve not watched one Republican debate. I’ve watched a few clips and I’ve read a lot of commentary on them, but I have not tuned in to one of them yet.

Tonight will be my first.

As voters in Florida prepare to vote on Tuesday, I can’t help bu think they are as confused about the candidates as I. The three states to vote previously have each chosen a different candidate. Another candidate currently polling in fourth place was a serious challenger in Iowa. Another came from behind to take the win in South Carolina, and is now virtually tied with the candidate everyone expected to be the frontrunner.

Take a look at the most recent poll numbers.

Poll	# Polled	+/-	Gingrich	Romney	Santorum	Paul
Florida Chamber Poll	504	4.4	33	33	10	8
InsiderAdvantage Poll	557	??	34	26	11	13
We Ask America	946	3.19	32	34	9	8
American Research Group	600	4	34	41	9	7
Quinnipiac University	601	4	40	34	13	10
Public Policy Polling	921	?	38	33	13	10

BUT the most telling poll is that 33% of GOP Voters Say It Would Be Good If New Candidate Entered Presidential Race! I know the general election is months away, but I still find this fascinating that a third of Republican voters feel this way about their slate of choices. Perhaps I’m reading too much into it.

Another thing I find interesting is that not only is the race close, but the candidates seem very different from one another. It’s as if the Republican party is splitting into separate factions altogether. In my opinion, the only thing these candidates have in common is that they are all deeply flawed.

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My Response to the GOP Response

Some of you will think I am cherry picking from the response only comments that make my point.

You’re exactly right!

The President did not cause the economic and fiscal crises that continue in America tonight. But he was elected on a promise to fix them, and he cannot claim that the last three years have made things anything but worse:

The President did NOT cause the crises. It’s nice to hear a Republican admit it.

We do not accept that ours will ever be a nation of haves and have nots; we must always be a nation of haves and soon to haves.

Great, we agree on this too!

That means a dramatically simpler tax system of fewer loopholes and lower rates. A pause in the mindless piling on of expensive new regulations that devour dollars that otherwise could be used to hire somebody. It means maximizing on the new domestic energy technologies that are the best break our economy has gotten in years.

I love the loopholes line. It’s overused. Nobody actually supports loopholes. The President also talked in his speech about more sensible regulations and a simpler tax code.

It’s absolutely so that everyone should contribute to our national recovery, including of course the most affluent among us. There are smart ways and dumb ways to do this: the dumb way is to raise rates in a broken, grossly complex tax system, choking off growth without bringing in the revenues we need to meet our debts. The better course is to stop sending the wealthy benefits they do not need, and stop providing them so many tax preferences that distort our economy and do little or nothing to foster growth.

Agreed!

In word and deed, the President and his allies tell us that we just cannot handle ourselves in this complex, perilous world without their benevolent protection. Left to ourselves, we might pick the wrong health insurance, the wrong mortgage, the wrong school for our kids; why, unless they stop us, we might pick the wrong light bulb!

Republican rhetoric – this issue is more complicated than Republicans care to admit. I detest government regulation as much as anyone (probably more), especially when it comes to things like my choice of light bulb. BUT have you been paying attention to the news over the last decade? Many of us do choose the wrong mortgages when given the chance.

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Why Do People Hate Obama?

Every time I hear the President speak, I have one simple thought – why is there so much hate directed toward this man.

It can’t be his policies. Much of his proposals have enjoyed widespread bi-partisan support during previous administrations. Some of his policies are so conservative that he has been called a moderate or centrist Republican, and even compared to Nixon.

I don’t know what it is, but it boggles my mind. Do I agree with everything he says? Absolutely not! I don’t agree with some of the recent proposed regulations regarding mandated coverages by health care providers (though I do support his plans for reform overall). I am not sure I would have signed NDAA (though I understand he may have been pressured into that as it was “sidled” with important legislation), and I certainly wouldn’t have flip-flopped on SOPA – support, oppose, support again (his comments last night make me wonder).

Do I think he gave a perfect speech last night? Well, it was expertly delivered as usual, but its substance was not all good. The speech seemed to center on two themes – fairness and votes. On the one theme, he did very well – on the other, not so much.

Traditionally, the President uses the last address before an election as the unofficial kick-off of the campaign. I would have been surprised if this had been any different, but there was no mistake that this was indeed a campaign speech. One writer noted that it was a point by point refutation of Romney. The atmosphere of perpetual campaign in Washington bothers me a great deal. It’s okay with me if Obama plays along, but in my opinion he went overboard last night.

On the issue of fairness, I am with him.

The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules. What’s at stake are not Democratic values or Republican values, but American values. We have to reclaim them.

Is this class warfare? Perhaps it is, but who started it?

I think the key phrase in all of the speech for me was this one

and everyone plays by the same set of rules.

This is common ground! Republicans and Democrats claim to agree on this point and yet we have not made any progress toward better regulations and a simpler tax code. Last night, our President mentioned many new regulations and rules during his speech. I’ve read a lot of commentary today declaring how “not simple” this all is. I disagree. The number of rules doesn’t necessarily add complexity, provided the rules are all simple. I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of a negative income tax (as supported by Milton Friedman, not as proposed by Jimmy Carter). A simpler system would eliminate all of the programs, but it would still aid those in real need.

I know rules can be scary, but I agree with our President when he says this …

I’m confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a federal agency looking over his shoulder. But I will not back down from making sure an oil company can contain the kind of oil spill we saw in the Gulf two years ago.

I think I know what people really don’t like about him – they don’t believe him. I’d like to think that if you believe he was telling the truth last night about his intentions, that you would have to agree with most of what he said.

Frustrating to me, because I happen to think he is the most honest President we’ve had in years.

A few last things …

I agreed 100% with his comparison of our situation to the end of WWII. The government invested heavily in our country right after WWII and that was a big reason for our success. People like to remember it differently, but investing in each other was the catalyst for real recovery. We are in a similar situation now – we should respond similarly.

I also loved his “send me a bill” stuff. I’ll write more about that in my response to the GOP response.

I do not understand his emphasis on manufacturing. I think we may recover some because some manufacturing is best done here, but I don’t think we can compete with other countries for all the manufacturing jobs – and I don’t think we should.

I also did not like his comparison to the military at the end. I understand the sentiment, but comparing my life to the struggles of war is over the top. In my opinion.

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Joe Paterno – Just A Man

Today, thousands of mourners have descended on State College to pay respects to Joe Paterno, legendary football coach and mentor who died from lung cancer just months after being fired from Penn State during the height of the Sandusky scandal. The public viewing planned for one p.m. today is the first of several public and private services planned for the next three days.

As we think on the life and work of Joe Paterno, what are we to think? How are we supposed to feel? What lessons can we learn? I think there are at least two lessons to be learned from his life, work, and his failings. The first is that he was just a man.

I’m a huge sports fan who grew up in an area that considers PSU its “home team,” but I never paid much attention to college football until I attended college myself. After that, I was hooked. I love everything about college football (except the letter of the law enforcers of NCAA rules). I was never a die hard Penn State fan, but I cheered for them any time a PSU win would not hurt either Florida or Liberty.

Though I’m certainly a huge fan of college football, I have also always been skeptical of organized sports. There are certainly benefits to being part of a team, but sometimes athletes, and even fans, fall victim to idolatry. It becomes easy to see your coach as the fountain of all wisdom and knowledge.

And that is why I was a Joe Paterno fan. I felt like Paterno was the exception to the rule. He was a man who understood that football was not the most important thing in the world. The evidence suggests that he did his best to mentor young men to be better men, not just better football players. He once said he would not retire and “leave college football to the Jackie Sherrills and Barry Switzers of the world.” He later apologized to Switzer, but his point was made – we need better men as coaches in NCAA football.

I remember a bunch of Eagles fans coming down to Jacksonville for the Jaguars game (the score of that game didn’t accurately reflect the real beating the Jags put on the Eagles that day) just after PSU had reached number one in the polls. As much as I dislike the Eagles, I couldn’t help but celebrate with these fans as they changed “Joe Paterno is number one!” It was great fun.

But he really was just a man – and now, painfully, we realize that.

I’ve been reading everything I could get my hands on about Paterno over the last few days, and much of what I’ve read reinforces this lesson. All three of these accounts are worth a full read.

His record will show that he was a great, indomitable champion who amassed a record 409 victories, as well as an intelligent advocate who worked tirelessly for poor and minority athletes his whole career. It will show that he was utterly devoted to his players, regularly graduated more than 75 percent of them, and had 47 academic all-Americans. It will show that he made mistakes and omissions, one of them possibly truly costly. It will show that he mostly maintained his perspective and remained true to himself.
– Joe Paterno dies, leaving record for others to debate

Thank you so much for being a great example, Joe. I will keep your memory alive as I too am not a perfect man, but yet and still a man. That means I can admit when I’ve made a mistake. I will protect and provide for my family, I will never yield standing on my spiritual, moral values and principles. Most important, I will always keep God first in the things that I do in my life.
Thoughts on the passing of Coach Joe Paterno, by Lavar Arrington

A couple of comments on Lavar’s post also caught my eye.

You are a bit biased in your opinion, LaVar and rightfully so. However, to the casual and even not-so causual observer Joe Paterno built a great football program, which ultimately consumed him. People from PSU are infatuated with him and it is like hero-worship in what is now widely known as Creepy Valley. Thus, folks closely associated with PSU (wearing JoPa blinders) will never be able to see Paterno for what he really was — one of the greatest football coaches ever, who became so enebriated with his football machine that he could no longer distinguish right from wrong. What he failed to do was not a trivial matter. He helped cover up child molestation — a very serious crimianl offense — and helping cover child molestation can never, ever be condoned.

It is a shame that his 60+ years as being a teacher, mentor, protector and defender of kids vanishes with one horrific neglect, misstep, etc., but in the end it does. It was this realization that probably killed him.

And from The sacred narrative of Joe Paterno

…But it’s worth remembering that the defining attribute of a “legend” is its casual relationship to the facts.

His life, his deeds, his thoughts, his living and breathing flesh, were fixed in legend decades before he died. No living man or woman can live up to that.

Over the next few days and then out across the years, we’ll read and hear and see a mountain of fictions about Joe Paterno. This is legend-building and storytelling and the necessary making of our mythology. In our sadness at his passing, we’ll want the legend to be very big and very simple.

This is the reflex of our best intentions.

But a man is a small and complex and contradictory thing. Hard to see, hard to find. Even Joe Paterno. And even in our mourning, the truth cuts in every direction at once. He took some of that truth with him when he died, but enough was left behind that people are fighting over it now. What’s at stake is how he’ll be remembered.

All mythology is cautionary. Every story is a warning.

He was a husband and he was a son and he was a father. He was right and he was wrong, and like most of us, he did his best. A hero to millions, in his own telling he failed his greatest challenge.

If it came to that, could you do right if it cost you everything? Would you sacrifice yourself and all you’ve built to save a stranger?

Joe Paterno was no more and no less than human, and no living man can contend with his own legend. No man can live in his own shadow.

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The Right To Choose

The Right to Choose

I know this is a controversial subject, but I feel just as strongly about this as many of my fellow Christian friends who disagree with me. As I’ve written before, I think abortion is a terrible tragedy, but I believe in the right to choose.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision protecting a woman’s right to choose. President Obama issued a statement that I think is worth reading carefully.

As we mark the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we must remember that this Supreme Court decision not only protects a woman’s health and reproductive freedom, but also affirms a broader principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose and this fundamental constitutional right. While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue- no matter what our views, we must stay united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, support pregnant woman and mothers, reduce the need for abortion, encourage healthy relationships, and promote adoption. And as we remember this historic anniversary, we must also continue our efforts to ensure that our daughters have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams. whitehouse.gov

A couple of things worthy of note …

a broader principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters.

I could not agree more.

we must stay united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, support pregnant woman and mothers, reduce the need for abortion, encourage healthy relationships, and promote adoption.

How could anyone disagree with this?

we must also continue our efforts to ensure that our daughters have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams.

Wow, we have a lot more work to do in this department, don’t we?

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Is Abortion Moral?

I know this might be hard reading for some, but I stumbled onto this article months ago. It’s well worth reading. The author presents a case for the morality of abortion by asking, and answering, six questions.

1. Is it alive?
2. Is it human?
3. Is it a person?
4. Is it physically independent?
5. Does it have human rights?
6. Is abortion murder?

It is certainly a solid case for the right to choose, but many will struggle with what they might perceive as a leap to calling it moral.

What does it mean for something to be moral?

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Links for MLK Day

In 2009, I decided to post something in honor of Dr. King every year on the official holiday.

Over the last few years, I’ve discovered several websites dedicated to the life and work of Dr. King. I’ve also learned that many others have written much more eloquently than I, so this year I thought I’d change things up and post a roundup of links.

My exploration this morning brought me to a website that I’ve actually never used before and I discovered that many of the sites I was going to share are compiled in an excellent list over at Bing’s Editor’s Picks.

It also occurred to me that since only three of you read what I posted in previous years, I might want to include those links here.

• Martin Luther King, Jr. – The Extremist
• King’s Other Dream
• Songs Inspired by MLK

The rest of these links point to content I’ve shared elsewhere today or plan to share later today.

• I’m Human
• A Rubik’s Cubes Mosaic of Martin Luther King, Jr.
• 25 Retweetable #MLK Quotes
• Straight up
• Keeping King’s Spiritual Vision Alive
• What would Martin Luther King Jr. say to Occupy Wall Street?
• Interfaith cooperation on campus and the legacy of MLK
• Dr. King’s Favorite Song
• For MLK Day, free admission to national parks
• Memories of MLK
• Unveiling MLK

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A Day on, Not a Day Off

In recent years, increasing emphasis has been place on celebrating the work and life of Dr. King by serving others.

mlkday.org has an informational page with answers to frequently asked questions and links to resource to help you serve.

 

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Tim Tebow Is Different

Anybody who knows me, even casually, probably knows that I am suspicious of athletes thanking God after a game. I liken it to taking God’s name in vain. In my opinion, some athletes just use Jesus as a good luck charm.

I don’t think Tim Tebow does.

Since Tebow started making waves as an NFL quarterback, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend – people using Tebow’s success on the football field as a sign that Jesus is blessing him. All good things, including winning football games, come from God, but it doesn’t follow that winning a game indicates God’s favor. This line of “reasoning” bothers me on several levels, most notably that it is easily disproven with a dash of rational thinking, but the danger is the obvious corollary – that failure is a sign of God’s disapproval. I’ve seen signs in recent years that fewer Christians “think” this way, but I’m afraid many Christians are swept up in Tebowmania.

I don’t think Tim Tebow is.

Yes, I’m a Christian. Yes, I’m a Gator. Yes, Tebow and I lived in the same neck of the woods for a while. Yes, I’ve been a fan for almost ten years. Yes, I’ve always rooted for the Broncos and Elway in games that didn’t negatively affect my Jets. I’m convinced, though, that I’m being objective.

Tim Tebow IS different!

Do I agree with everything he says because he’s a Christian? No. Will I root for him next week simply because he is a beliver? No (Ravens are a local team with an even “localer” hero, and my daughter is a Texans fan).

But he is different, and we need more athletes like him!

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