Friday Blogamundi

Jul1

We’re interested in France here at Semicolon since Eldest Daughter is planning to spend nine months of her life there soon. So here’s an article in Foreign Policy about a new kind of French politician, one who likes the United States and free markets. His name is Sarkozy, and even more shocking, he’s the son of immigrants. Link via Michelle Malkin.

On Betsy’s Page I found a link to this article in the London TImes Online entitled “Give Africa a Private Schooling.” In the article, James Toole, professor of education policy at Newcastle University, says:

We tested 3,000 children in maths and English, from government and private schools, controlled for background family variables, and found that the children in the unregistered private schools, so despised by the government, achieved 14 percentage points higher in maths and 20 percentage points higher in English than children in government schools. Teachers in the government schools were paid at least four times more than those in the unregistered schools. The private schools were far more effective for a fraction of the cost.

What does this sort of research say about parent-directed education?

Dawn Eden at The Dawn Patrol is doing a several-part series about her faith journey and about her conversion to Catholicism. She’s got the first two parts up and promises more soon. Since she grew up Jewish in Galveston, Texas, I’m interested to see how she got from there to New York and Catholicism.

In the Agora has background information on Judge Emilio Garza who may be the one nominated to replace Justice Sandra Day O’Connor who announced her retirement today. I think Judge Garza sounds OK, and I’m praying that whoever President Bush appoints, he’ll get it right. The next few Supreme Court nominations will determine the direction of this country for many years to come.

The guys at In the Agora also wrote a post about Darfur last week and linked to information about the National Weekend of Prayer and Reflection for Darfur, July 15th, 16th, 17th. I plan to continue praying about the actrocious situation in Darfur and to especially pray and talk to others at my church on that particular weekend. Jim atStones Cry Out writes about Darfur and other forgotten crises.

David Gergen praises Teach for America. Link via Joanne Jacobs.

Southern Appeal says there’s still a chance tha Alberto Gonzales could be appointed to the Supreme Court. Please, no.

Jared at Thinklings liked Batman Begins. My teenage urchins are going to see it this weekend sometime. I think I’ll pass. Oh, by the way, it’s really OK that I’m not even part of the landscape at Thinklings, much less the Inner Sanctum. Those guys still write a good blog. They just don’t know everything there is to know about the blogamundi.
Whereas I do.

Read, White and Blue: Books and Links for the Fourth of July

Jul1

Calling all U.S. citizens, how will you celebrate the Fourth of July? We always have a full day: parade in the morning, home to cool off, and then the community get together and fireworks in the afternoon/evening. This year our church is handing out bottles of water for parade-goers and cards of encouragement to send to soldiers overseas at the parade. What will you be doing? How does your church family celebrate our nation’s founding? Should churches have patriotic music and special celebrations to mark the birthdate of our country? Or is this combination of patriotism and worship dishonoring to God?

As for me, I plan to attend a July 3rd Freedom Concert with (blast from the past) Dallas Holm at a local Methodist church. I remember Dallas Holm and Praise from way back when, and I would love to hear him sing Rise Again.

Some picture books for July 4th:
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. Paul Revere’s Ride.Illustrated by Ted Rand. Dutton, 1990.
Dalgliesh, Alice.The 4th of July Story. Alladin, 1995. (reprint edition)
Spier, Peter. The Star-Spangled Banner. Dragonfly Books, 1992.
Bates, Katharine Lee. America the Beautiful. Illustrated by Neil Waldman. Atheneum, 1993.
Devlin, Wende. Cranberry Summer.

Also on July 4th:
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born July 4, 1804. Advice from Nathaniel Hawthorne on Blogging.
Stephen Foster was born on July 4, 1826. The PBS series American Experience has an episode on the life of Stephen Foster, author of songs such as Beautiful Dreamer and Oh! Susanna.
Calvin Coolidge was born on July 4, 1872.
The poem “America the Beautiful” by Katharine Lee Bates was first published on July 4, 1895.
On July 4, 1970 Casey Kasem hosted “American Top 40” on radio for the first time. I cannot tell a lie; in high school I spent every Sunday afternoon listening to Casey Kasem count down the Top 40.

James M. Kushner at Mere Comments recommends David McCullough’s book 1776 for Fourth of July reading. I haven’t read it yet, but I’ll probably add it to The List. I plan a six month update on The List very soon, for those who are interested.

Last but not least, via Ivy’s Coloring Page Search Engine, I found this page of free coloring sheets for the 4th of July. We liked the fireworks page.

Go celebrate with your own fireworks–or watch some—or something. Happy Independence Day!

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Jun28

The Kite Runner is set initially in Afghanistan, and it’s a tale of father and son and of betrayal and forgiveness. Amir, the protagonist and narrator, is the son of a wealthy Afghan businessman, while his best friend, Hassan, is a Hazara and a servant. I learned from reading the book that the Hazaras are an ethnic group within Afghanistan and that they are looked down upon because they are Shi’ite Muslims rather than Sunni and because of their ethnicity and poverty. Because Amir and his father do not understand one another and because family secrets poison the atmosphere in their home, Amir escapes into a world of books. He also spends a lot of time playing with his servant/friend Hassan, and it is Hassan who defends Amir when the two encounter bullies or other difficulties. Amir, writing this story from the vantage point of adulthood, is ashamed of the way he used and depended upon Hassan, and he is especially ashamed of one incident that happened when Amir was twelve years old and that, he says, changed his life forever.

“I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975.” So Amir begins his story. The rest of the novel is a sort of quest for atonement and forgiveness. Even though others forgive Amir for his weakness and cowardice as a twelve year old boy, Amir canot forgive himself until he is called upon to do something dangerous to atone for his sin. Even when he gets himself almost killed in a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, Amir cannot remove all the consequences of his misdeeds. He can only live with what he has done and try to see glimpses of hope.

This novel is Dr. Khaled Hosseini’s first, and it was number seven at Amazon when I checked tonight. Pretty good for a first time novelist. His description of growing up in Afghanistan before the Soviet invasion and before the Taliban features boys running the streets freely, hurling pebbles at passing goats, and kite-fighting. Kite-fighting was a popular sport in prewar Afghanistan, and Amir and Hassan work together to become the best kite flyers in the city. Hassan has a further talent: he is the best kite runner, hence the title of the novel. A kite runner retrieves the fallen kite of an opponent, and his reward is to hang the kite, or perhaps many kites, on a wall as a trophy, a reminder of his triumph. Hassan runs the kites–and gives them to Amir, and then he is called upon to give much more than just kites. Later, Amir must repay Hassan’s courage and selflessness with matching courage.

Another significant role reversal takes place in the novel, too. In Afghanistan, Amir’s father, Baba, is a strong man, respected, even beloved. Amir feels he can never live up to his father’s reputation nor his expectations. When the two men immigrate to the United States, Amir slowly becomes the strong one. He says of his father that he liked the idea of living in America, but actually living there gave him an ulcer. Amir seems not to realize that his strong, self-sufficient father is now dependent on him. Such changes do happen so slowly that we are surprised by them. Hosseini does a good job of showing this transition from boy to man as it occurs—in fits and starts, almost imperceptibly.

Excellent novel, highly recommended. This one and Acts of Faith are both on my A list for this year. I’ve been blessed to read several good recently published fiction books lately. Are the selections from the publishers improving? This book would make a great movie, but it may be too politically incorrect for Hollywood. The Muslims in the book are a mixed lot, some good, some bad, and the Taliban-types are totally evil.
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Acts of Faith, Part 2

Jun28

I wrote something about my initial impressions of this book a few days ago, and lo, and behold, the WORLD magazine that came in the mail today has an interview with Philip Caputo, the author. It’s a good interview, worth reading. To continue my thoughts on the book, as I promised, here’s another quote:

The successful capitalist is successful because he has no love in his heart, Fitzhugh, thought, returning to his hut from a volleyball game. He has only the love of success. He devotes himself to work work work instead of to a woman loved with all his soul. He attempts to fill the hollow in his heart with the accumulation of wealth and what it buys, whether things or power or both; but wealth, things, and power fill it only for the moment, as water does the belly of a hungry man. The heart is empty once again, and its cravings drive him to acquire more; yet he is never gratified.

Sounds very Biblical, doesn’t it? Fitzhugh is the flawed hero of the book, and he does see the emptiness of unprincipled blind belief in a Cause and hypocrisy in the name of humanitarianism. However, his salvation is, of course, found in the love of a good woman and in the creation of a family. In the WORLD interview, Caputo says that “the theme in Acts of Faith is how faith, whether it is religious or a belief in some secular ideology or cause, can curdle into fanaticism.” This being the chosen theme, all the believers in the book do “curdle”, turn into the antithesis of believers in goodness and righteousness. And there but for the grace of God go I. What the book doesn’t show is any real hope for redemption and forgiveness.

But what we become, Fitzhugh thinks, is what we have been all along. To outward appearances, each of us is a half truth. The self we present to the world conceals a clandestine self that awaits its time to come out. Africa had not changed Quinette. It had merely provided the right circumstances and the right climate for her pretty chrysalis to pop open and reveal the creature within. To see the whole truth of oneself is also a redemption of sorts. . . . Again, he knew only what he wanted to believe, and he wanted to believe redemption was possible.

Acts of Faith reveals human sinfulness in a particularly intriguing and relevant story. However, seeing one’s own depravity is only the beginning of salvation, and by itself that kind of self-revelation can lead to despair instead of redemption.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgement, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Movie Time

Jun27

My sister (who just set up her own blog) is visiting, and we watched a couple of movies last night and tonight. Last night I invited her to watch Lagaan with me. Lagaan is an Indian movie, with English subtitles, set during British colonial times. It’s a romance, very Hindu, and it’s also the story of a cricket match. If you have almost four hours to spare, it’s a beautiful movie. Oh, you also should know something about cricket—or enjoy watching a very long game that you don’t understand. I chose the latter since cricket is a foreign language to me and to most other non-British people. I’m not making the movie sound very interesting, but it really is. I nominate it for best foreign movie with subtitles I’ve seen, other than Life is Beautiful.

Tonight my sister had us all watching The Village. Quite thought-provoking. We had a discussion after we watched the movie about homeschooling and sheltering your children. How much is too much? Can you protect your children from everything evil? Should you scare them into submission with lies and scary stories? This movie has a lot to say to homeschoolers in particular. Although I believe in sheltering and protecting my children, one can only protect them from the outside, not from what is within. We carry our sin nature within us. Only the Truth can set us free.

Picture Book Preschool, Week 26

Jun27

Picture Book Preschool is a preschool/kindergarten curriculum which consists of a list of picture books to read aloud for each week of the year and a character trait, a memory verse, and activities, all tied to the theme for the week. You can purchase an updated, downloadable version (pdf file) of Picture Book Preschool by Sherry Early at Biblioguides.

WEEK 26 (June) SUMMERTIME
Character Trait: Creativity
Bible Verse: God . . . provides us with everything for our enjoyment. I Timothy 6:17

1. Spier, Peter. Bored—Nothing To Do. Doubleday, 1978. OP
2. Udry, Janice May. The Moon Jumpers. Harper and Row, 1959.
3. Hoban, Russell. Nothing To Do. Harper, 1964. OP
4. McCauley, Jane. Animals in Summer. National Geographic, 1988.
5. Brown, Margaret Wise. The Summer Noisy Book. HarperCollins, 1979. OP
6. Branley, Franklyn. Flash, Crash, Rumble and Roll. Harper, 1985.
7. Gardner, Beau. The Look Again . . . And Again And Again And Again Book. Lothrop, 1983. OP

Activities: Make a list of things to do when your child is bored. What activities can your child do all by himself?

Helen Keller, b. 1880, d. 1968

Jun27

In 1953 a documentary film “The Unconquered” was made about Helen’s life; the film won an Academy Award for best feature length documentary.
In 1962 “The Miracle Worker,” first a Broadway play, was made into a movie starring Anne Bancroft as Annie Sullivan and Patty Duke as Helen Keller. Both actresses won Academy Awards. There are a couple of TV versions of the same movie/play, but the classic 1962 version is best.

Helen Keller Kids’ Museum Online

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” –Helen Keller

Books about Helen Keller:
A Picture Book of Helen Keller by David A. Adler, Holiday House, New York, 1992
Helen Keller: Courage in the Dark by Johanna Hurwitz, Random House, New York, 1999

Story of My Life by Helen Keller available free online.

The Braille Bug Site has activities to encourage understanding of the blind and the visually impaired by sighted children. The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) created the Braille Bug web site to teach sighted children about braille and to encourage literacy among all children.

As the result of a Presidential Proclamation in 1984, the week of June 27th has been designated Helen Keller Deaf-Blind Awareness Week.

Helen Keller for Young Readers

Helen Keller, by the way, espoused some ideas as an adult that I would strongly disagree with. She called herself a socialist, advocated birth control and supported Margaret Sanger, and she was a pacifist who believed that WW I was a ploy to make more money for the rich capitalists. She also helped found the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Helen Keller was a follower of the ideas of Emanuel Swedenborg, an eighteenth century Swedish New Thought heretic.

Born June 26th

Jun26

Pearl Buck, b. 1892. She was born in West Virginia, but since her parents were only on furlough from the mission field in China, Pearl grew up and lived much of her life in China. She was homeschooled by her mother and by a Chinese tutor. After the publication of her second novel, The Good Earth, Pearl Buck won both the Pulitzer Prize and, ten years later, the Nobel Prize for Literature. She was able to have only one natural child, a daughter, Carol, who was mentally handicapped as a result of PKU. Mrs. Buck adopted seven more children.

Charlotte Zolotow, b. 1915. Charlotte Zolotow celebrates her 90th birthday this year. She’s written over 90 books for children and edited many more. Here are a few of our favorites:
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Born June 25th

Jun25

All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.

Big Brother is watching you.

Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.

War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.

In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act.

What English author, born in 1903, added these ideas and terms to our collective wisdom? Hint: If you’ve never read 1984 or Animal Farm, you should. Both books are directly applicable to current events. (Senator Dick Durbin: U.S. soldiers are Nazis. Terrorists are victims. War is peace. Freedom is slavery.)

Also born on this date, Eric Carle, author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Very Busy Spider, among other favorites. I noted last year on this date that The Grouchy Ladybug would make a great blog title. I couldn’t find a blog with that title on google, but I did find a list of Carmon’s (Buried Treasure) top ten picture books from 2003 which included The Grouchy Ladybug.

Friday Blogamundi

Jun24

Battle of the Books–a Slate article about the problem with YA “problem novels.” Link via Kevin at Collected Miscellany.

Andy Crouch writes about “Visualicy.” the ability to read and create visual images. If this is really a skill, I am a-visual.

Debra at As I See It Now has a lovely outlook on housework in Housework Philosophy 101.

Rebecca Writes is linking to Top 100 Lists during the month of June. Check out the children’s book list or the list of Top 100 Wonders of the World (Not one of these wonders is in Texas. Well, now that I think about it the Rio Grande isn’t much to look at, and Big Bend consists of a bunch of rocks. What about Johnson Space Center–man-made, but definitely a wonder.)

At Evangelical Outpost,, Joe Carter apologizes–for everything.

Eduardo blogs from Asuncion, Paraguay at The Grey Shadow. He tells the story of The Boombox Incident to illustrate how many evangelical Christians have turned ugliness and poor quality into a virtue. In other words, if it’s branded “Christian,” it must be better and more virtuous than anything “secular.”

Carla writes about financial reality in a post I could almost have written myself. Sometimes it’s a struggle to see how to divide the pie so that everything gets the right amount of financial attention.

Best discussion of the week at Amy Loves Books. Amy blogs passionately about public schools, at-risk children, and the church’s responsibility.

“I’d like to see Christians, whether they have school age children or not, and whether they choose to send their school age children to public school or not, to begin a conversation about ways in which the church can reach out and offer advocacy, support, and presence to the children in at-risk schools.”

“We are afraid of poor people. Poverty is like a visible symptom of what is often considered a lack of morality. It’s okay to build a house for Habitat on the weekend, or volunteer at a soup kitchen, but when it comes to actually living among them, we get nervous. Without a doubt, don’t want our children exposed. I realize that those are strong statements, but I confess that I have been guilty of these exact thoughts and worries. I’ve thought things and made assumptions about people who struggle in poverty that I am ashamed to even put into words.”