Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Sunday, July 26, 2015
CUTAWAYS: METAMORPHOSIS: THE ALIEN FACTOR
See if you can spot the problem the scientists in the following clip from 1990’s Metamorphosis: The Alien Factor are having.
That’s right, they’re facing the age-old conundrum of when, where and how it is appropriate to show public displays of affection in front of your… progeny.
Well, according to Pope Francis, almost any time is a good time for parents to express their love for one another through little caresses or kisses. In an address to parents of confirmation candidates in 2014, His Holiness remarked how important it was that children witness their parents being affectionate. “Don't ever forget that your children are always watching you” the Pontiff explained, “and when they see that a father and mother love each other, children grown in an air of love, in happiness, also in security, because they know that they are safe in the love of their father and mother.”
So, go ahead mom and dad, hug and smooch away in front of the kids, it’s fine. Um, might want to make sure you’re not brandishing a needle in front of their eyes at the time, though. Probably just asking for trouble if you do that.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Monday, July 20, 2015
CUTAWAYS: ONE CRAZY SUMMER
Well, we did it. For the first time in years the family actually left town for a quick weekend vacation. Not to worry though, we were immediately punished for it once we got home. Still, it was fun while it lasted. We even managed to work in a little dolphin spotting along the way.
Of course, me being me, the first thing I immediately thought of once Flipper and his pals began popping up was this…
Once I got that out of my system, though, my thoughts turned to this…
According to the 1909 Catholic Encyclopedia:
“The use of the dolphin as a Christian symbol is connected with the general ideas underlying the more general use of the fish. The particular idea is that of swiftness and celerity symbolizing the desire with which Christians, who are thus represented as being sharers in the nature of Christ the true Fish, should seek after the knowledge of Christ. Hence the representation is generally of two dolphins tending towards the sacred monogram or some other emblem of Christ. In other cases the particular idea is that of love and tenderness. Aringhi (Roma Subterr., II, 327) gives an example of a dolphin with a heart, and other instances have some such motto as PIGNUS AMORIS HABES (i.e. thou hast a pledge of love). It is sometimes used as an emblem of merely conjugal love on funeral monuments. With an anchor the dolphin occurs frequently on early Christian rings, representing the attachment of the Christian to Christ crucified. Speaking generally, the dolphin is the symbol of the individual Christian, rather than of Christ Himself, though in some instances the dolphin with the anchor seems to be intended as a representation of Christ upon the Cross.”
I really don’t know if it’s feasible these days to get this kind of religious symbolism back into the mainstream public consciousness so that something like running across a few dolphins brings to mind Christ as well as old silly movies. Sure is a nice thought, though.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Sunday, July 12, 2015
THE B-LIST: QUESTIONABLE MUSICAL MOMENTS #20 – WHEN NATURE CALLS
Even before Pope Francis released his encyclical, Laudato Si', there were many who were expressing concerns over its possible contents. They feared it would be a throwback to the early 70s in which movies like the Wilderness Family trilogy and The Sea Gypsies beckoned us all to abandon the cities and return to the land, that all Catholics everywhere would be required to alter their lifestyle and become like the Outdoorsters from When Nature Calls…
I hope you managed to make it all the way through to the last minute where it got really, really terrible.
Anyway, it would be nice to say that once Laudato Si' was published, everyone calmed down some. But the truth is that after word began to spread how the document included stuff like a critique on the use of air conditioning, the wails of protest just grew larger. To be honest, I haven’t read the whole encyclical yet (that’s what other, smarter people are for), but my curiosity was tweaked enough to look up the paragraph about air conditioning, and truthfully, I just didn’t see the big deal. The Pope wrote…
“People may well have a growing ecological sensitivity but it has not succeeded in changing their harmful habits of consumption which, rather than decreasing, appear to be growing all the more. A simple example is the increasing use and power of air-conditioning. The markets, which immediately benefit from sales, stimulate ever greater demand. An outsider looking at our world would be amazed at such behaviour, which at times appears self-destructive.”
If I had to guess (which I do), I would surmise the Pope’s concerns are likely based on such sources as the article over at Yale’s website which documents the possible ecological dangers inherent in more and more of the world becoming air conditioned. Maybe I’m over-simplifying, but It seems kind of common sense that as millions of more people cut on air conditioners, a lot more chlorine-filled fluorocarbons will be pumped into the atmosphere. Nobody wants that. The trick is, though, that countries with lots of air conditioning prosper more than countries without, so nobody is in any hurry to turn them off.
Besides, it’s hot out there. I live in North Georgia and recently spent three days with a broken HVAC. Trust me when I say, going without AC is an experience I don’t intend to go through again anytime soon, especially not voluntarily. But I’m not convinced that’s what the Pope is asking anyway. I believe his point is along the lines of what the Catechism is getting at when it instructs us…
“The development of economic activity and growth in production are meant to provide for the needs of human beings. Economic life is not meant solely to multiply goods produced and increase profit or power; it is ordered first of all to the service of persons, of the whole man, and of the entire human community. Economic activity, conducted according to its own proper methods, is to be exercised within the limits of the moral order, in keeping with social justice so as to correspond to God's plan for man.”
From what little of Laudato Si' that I’ve read, it appears the Pontiff is only reiterating the fact that everything we do, even the simple act of cutting on the AC, has a moral dimension. As Catholics we should know that, but sometimes we forget. So, is it really too much for the Pope to suggest (not require) that we consider raising our thermostats a few degrees to compensate for the growing use of air conditioning in third world countries? I mean, it’s not like he’s telling us to become The Outdoorsters. He’s simply providing an example of a relatively small act which could help keep fluorocarbons down while allowing poor countries to get a little richer. I don’t know, maybe there’s other, more damning stuff buried inside the encyclical, but that part sounds reasonable to me.
Wednesday, July 08, 2015
Sunday, July 05, 2015
OH, GO AHEAD AND PAY SOME ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN
One of the nice things about the job I actually get paid for (sadly, nobody tosses money at movie reviewers these days) is that it affords me the opportunity to drive all over north Georgia. And since I have a camera with me at all times, I have, as of late, had the urge to share some of the weird and/or interesting things I run across on Instagram. Here’s a sampling:
“Wonder is a great grace, the grace that God gives us in our encounter with Jesus Christ.” Pope Francis noted back in 2013. “It is something that draws us outside of ourselves with joy.” And, as His Holiness’ recent encyclical, Laudato si’, pointed out, that inner experience of meeting the living Christ can then transform the way we view the outer world, allowing us to approach nature and the environment with an openness to awe and wonder. Me, I guess I just like to try and expand it just one step further and leave myself open to the weird and wonderful in just about everything, even otherwise benign statues of chicken farmers.
So, if you feel like following along on my travels through the ATL and up into Deliverance territory, just head on over to Instagram and follow me at eegahinc. If you do, I’ll be sure to follow back so I can see what kind of wonders you’re finding in this wonderfully weird world we live in.
