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Where Were You on September 16, 2001?
This Sunday will mark the tenth anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Like every other American, I will never forget where I was and what I was doing when I heard news of the attacks. My wife and I had only been married a year, and we had just moved to Louisville, Kentucky so that I could pursue a Ph.D. I had a seminar that afternoon and was still at home when the attacks happened. My wife called me from work to tell me to turn the television on. I think both buildings had already been struck by the time I tuned in, but I was…
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Mel Gibson To Make Movie about the Maccabees
The Los Angeles Times reports that Mel Gibson will be making a movie about the Jewish hero who is memorialized every year during Hanukkah– Judas Maccabeus. Here’s a bit from the article: Gibson’s Icon Productions has closed the producing deal with Warner Bros., and Joe Eszterhas will write the screenplay. Gibson’s camp said the filmmaker will decide if he’s directing after the script is done and that he has not ruled out the possibility that he could act in the film.
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DC Comics Creates First Lesbian Superhero
Just a quick note about another sad milestone in popular culture: DC Comics is shaking-up its comic book universe. They have decided to do a giant do-over of 52 of their titles, which means that Superman, Batman, and a host of other comic book icons will be starting-over from issue number 1. What does this mean? For starters, it means that Lois Lane will no longer be married to Superman. There will be brand new story lines and brand new characters. America is a lot less “white” than it was when DC Comics started 76 years ago, so the new series will feature more ethnic diversity among its heroes. But…
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College Asks Prospective Students about Sexual Orientation
Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois has become the first college in the country to ask applicants about their sexual orientation. From the Chicago Sun-Times: “Increasing diversity is part of our mission statement,” said Gary Rold, Elmhurst’s dean of admissions. “This is simply closing the loop, in many ways, of another group who has a very strong identity. It may not be race and religion but it’s an important part of who they are.”
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“Gender in the 21st Century” Conference
If you are anywhere near Louisville tomorrow, you should make plans to attend the “Gender in the 21st Century” conference hosted by the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. The conference begins at 9am, August 22 in Heritage Hall on the campus of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The speakers include Albert Mohler, Ligon Duncan, Jim Hamilton, Russell Moore, and Randy Stinson. Also, I just read that there’s going to be an iPad giveaway to some lucky conference-goer. iPad or no iPad, I hope to see you there.
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Medal of Honor Recipient, Charles Murray (1921-2011)
Press release from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society:
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Texas A&M Gears-up To Join the SEC
It looks like Texas A&M University is close to an agreement to bolt the Big 12 to enter the SEC. I don’t blame A&M for wanting to make the change. They need to blaze their own trail and to get out of the shadow of the Texas Longhorns. I think the Aggies have a great program, and the SEC will only elevate their prospects. The weekly competition will be more difficult than anything they’ve ever faced, but it will be a boon for the program. This news about A&M reminds me of the last time the Aggies travelled to Baton Rouge to play LSU. Their buses had almost reached the…
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Boy Survives after Being under Water for 20 Minutes
A twelve year old boy named Dale Ostrander was with his church youth group on a beach trip when he was pulled out to sea by a rip current. Reports say that he was under water and without oxygen for about 20 minutes. He was expected to die, or at best, to be a vegetable for the rest of his life. It turns out that the prognosis was wrong.
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What must you have in your dorm room this Fall?
I am a college professor, so I do pay some attention to all the back-to-school kinds of articles that get published this time of year. I came across one this morning that was a little strange. MSNBC.com has a list of “top essentials” that every college student must have in his dorm room this Fall. Color me unconvinced. It seems to me that this list is mainly composed of luxury items while leaving out actual essential items (e.g., laptop computer). I wonder if you agree. Here’s the list with my brief remarks on each: