In her thought-provoking essay The Faith Factor in The Nation, Barbara Enrenrich argues that “secular-type liberals and centrists” need to wake up and learn from the religious transformation of America as opposed to:
categorizing religion as a form of “irrationality,” akin to spirituality, sports mania and emotion generally. They fail to see that the current “Christianization” of red-state America bears no resemblance to the Great Revival of the early nineteenth century, an ecstatic movement that filled the fields of Virginia with the rolling, shrieking and jerking bodies of the revived. In contrast, today’s right-leaning Christian churches represent a coldly Calvinist tradition in which even speaking in tongues, if it occurs at all, has been increasingly routinized and restricted to the pastor. What these churches have to offer, in addition to intangibles like eternal salvation, is concrete, material assistance. They have become an alternative welfare state, whose support rests not only on “faith” but also on the loyalty of the grateful recipients.
Read the whole essay.
Yay! Who doesn’t love Alice Munro? Last night she won her second Giller Prize, this time for her collection Runaway:
“I am stunned, I just can’t believe it,” said Munro after accepting the award from founder Jack Rabinovitch at a ceremony in Toronto.
She then thanked late publisher Jack McClelland, fellow short-listed authors and “great writers who aren’t on any list.”
Read the story here.
Michael Moore is going back to work. He’s getting his cameras rolling now and should have a new film–a sequel to Farenheit 911
–to coincide with the gearing up of the next presidential election (two-three years from now).
“Fifty-one percent of the American people lacked information [in this election],” Moore said. “We want to educate and enlighten them. They weren’t told the truth.”
Read the whole story.
Here are some word origins:
The word armistice is derived from the Latin armistitium, from arma, “arms” and -stitium, “stopping.” It means a temporary cessation from fighting or the use of arms, or a short truce.
And here’s a poem:
Facing It
by Yusef Komunyakaa
and here’s some news:
At least 19 die in Baghdad car bombing
Google‘s index has doubled to more than 8 Billion pages.
This sounds like a headline from a tabloid–but it’s not. The results of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment were released yesterday. The prognosis is not great:
The study concluded that in Alaska, western Canada, and eastern Russia, average temperatures have increased as much as 4 to 7 degrees Fahrenheit (3 to 4 degrees Celsius) in the past 50 years, nearly twice the global average. Temperatures are projected to rise 7 to 13 degrees Fahrenheit (4 to 7 degrees Celsius) over the next hundred years.
What this means is that the ice is going to melt and melt quickly. It already is. So what’s a little water? Well, the consequences, according to the study, are rather drastic:
• Low-lying coastal areas in Florida and Louisiana could be flooded by the sea. A 1.5 feet (50-centimeter) rise in sea level could cause the coastline to move 150 feet (45 meters) inland, resulting in substantial economic, social, and environmental impact in low-lying areas.
• The health and food security of some indigenous peoples would be threatened, challenging the survival of some cultures.
• Should the Arctic become ice-free in summer, it is likely that polar bears and some seal species would become extinct.
• The melting of so much ice, and the resulting addition of so much fresh water to the ocean, could impact the circulation of currents and affect regional climate.
Read the whole story at National Geographic.
More info:
The WWF opinion
Arctic climate researchers welcome US efforts on global warming
Kyoto Protocol not enough to stop warming: scientists
According to The Washington Post John Kerry and the rest of the Democrats are back and ready for action:
“Let me tell you one thing that I want to make clear,” Kerry said in a brief meeting with reporters in the Capitol. “Fifty-four-plus-million Americans voted for health care, they voted for energy independence, they voted for unity in America, they voted for stem cell research, they voted for protecting Social Security. We need to be unified, and we have a very clear agenda. And I’m going to be fighting for that agenda with all of the energy that I have and all the passion I brought to the campaign.”
Read the whole story: Democrats Vow to Hold Bush Accountable.
I am devastated by this news: Six Feet Under to come to an end. Okay, there are certainly worse things going on the world today but Six Feet Under is the very best that television has to offer (although, I’m finding that I also really love The Gilmore Girls).
Here’re a couple of amazing stories live now:
Tiny Bird, by Ellen Meister
Gun in the Hot Dog Cart, by Marcia Lynx Qualey
myfanwy collins 