I found this a lot funnier than I should have. I actually went to find the originial version after I watched the translation, and it’s definitely not a word-for-word translation, which is slightly disappointing. I’d like to see someone actually do a literal translation and then, perhaps, put it back into hip hop. (via)
Melik Kaylan, writing at Forbes.com, argues that the notion — held forth by Reza Aslan — that Islam is undergoing a full-fledged reformation seems to lack much support: “To be precise, and pace Aslan, Islam is undergoing a counter-reformation without having lived through a reformation. When will our bien pensant institutions resist the suave appeal of the “useful idiots” in our midst?” He does see some hope in the Iranian revolt: “Iranian citizens can help spur a true Reformation in Islam by sweeping away their turbaned and bearded tormentors back to the moderation of the cloister. They have the good taste, cultural depth and independence of mind to see the absurdity of their condition.”
I’ve been reading Real Live Preacher’s stuff for several years now. His stuff is great, and this is no exception. He visited an Orthodox church and tells of his experience: “I LOVED IT. Loved it loved it loved it loved it loved it. In a day when user-friendly is the byword of everything from churches to software, here was worship that asked something of me. No, DEMANDED something of me.” (via)
Reihan Salam suggests that the rhetoric of Glenn Beck is actually good for America: “Beck’s great strength is that he’s a kind of national therapist for some of America’s craziest people, few of whom are willing to go in for professional help. Without Beck and O’Reilly and even Olbermann, how exactly would these people let off steam? I don’t want to know.”
Google rolled out a sneak preview for developers of their forthcoming Wave platform for communication and collaboration. At first blush, there’s a lot to like about this approach. It will take some getting used to, especially since e-mail has become so ubiquitous. In an age where e-mail has been joined by instant messaging, Twitter, texting, wikis, and so many other communication tools, it’s not surprising that we’ll start to see a platform that integrates them better.
- Did #MancowMuller fake his waterboarding for cheap publicity? Sounds like that’s the case. Not surprised. http://tinyurl.com/mjoyc6 #
- Amstel light commercials during #blackhawks games, coincidence or savvy marketing? #
Why Circuit City Failed, and Why B&H Thrives: “The whole operation is a crazy Willy Wonka factory. If you want to check out a product that’s not on display, a salesperson orders it by computer terminal from a vast stockroom in the basement. Moments later, as if by magic, the product arrives at the retail counter, via an elaborate system of conveyor belts and dumbwaiters.” (via)
1001 rules for my unborn son. At first this didn't impress me, but the longer I read it, the more I wish that I had thought of it first.
Gallup just released a new poll that shows that more Americans self-identify as “pro-life” than “pro-choice”.
This piece from W. James Antle III in The American Conservative is another attempt to find a new way forward between what he sees as the two current poles within the Republican party: “There is a flavor of conservatism that has not been discredited by the events of the past eight years. If anything, its criticisms of loose monetary policies, overconsumption, reckless private and public borrowing, uncontrolled immigration, and foreign adventurism now seem prescient. It is a conservatism unburdened by the Iraq War, the ‘heckuva job’ response to Hurricane Katrina, and the financial meltdown, which are really the biggest contributors to the GOP’s decline. Most of all, it is a conservatism that does not need to rehabilitate the Bush legacy since its leading exponents were never full-time Bush apologists.”
Michael Gerson previewing Robert Putnam’s forthcoming American Grace: “Against the expectations of hard-core secularists, Putnam asserts, “religious Americans are nicer, happier and better citizens.” They are more generous with their time and money, not only in giving to religious causes but to secular ones. They join more voluntary associations, attend more public meetings, even let people cut in line in front of them more readily. Religious Americans are three to four times more socially engaged than the unaffiliated. Ned Flanders is a better neighbor.”
- RT @PeterRoskam: I’ll be joining Big John Howell & Cisco Cotto on 560 WIND AM Monday morning at 8:35 am CST http://tinyurl.com/9pnsh2 #
