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| The Scarlet Avenger Triumphs! - Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:28:08 GMT Contents: The Scarlet Avenger, a screenplay about a masked Canadian Mountie who fights both Nazis and an evil overlord known as the Skull, beat 300 screenplays this weekend to become the winner of the prestigious "WILDSound Film & Sound" Screenwriting competition. Why do I care? Because Scott C. Clements, the scriptwriter, cites my essay "Reconstructivist Art" as a shaping influence on the script. |
| Hero For Christ - Book Review - Sun, 24 Aug 2008 01:46:46 GMT Contents: Hero For Christ received a great review in this month's Midwest Book Review
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| A new arrival - Mon, 19 May 2008 21:51:47 GMT Contents: For anyone who reads my blog and hasn't heard the news: My wife and I welcomed a healthy baby boy into the world last week. He sleeps all day and stays up all night, but he's very cute and lovable and we couldn't be happier! |
| Columbus in the News - Thu, 01 May 2008 04:17:11 GMT Contents: Columbus has been getting a lot of good press lately.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVQxYmiXV0U Tags: columbus, |
| - Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:18:45 GMT Contents: This is a very interesting video --it shows that you don't need a lot of money or power to make a difference for the environment. Barefoot Solar Engineers Tags: social_issues, environment, |
| Columbus - Mon, 31 Dec 2007 17:30:10 GMT Contents: Wow! One of the New York Post columnists named his top five destinations for the year: Budapest, Ontario, Venice, New Orleans and Columbus! [Read Article] Even as the biggest Cbus fan, I find that a bit shocking. It just shows how far our cred has risen this year. Walker's blog has more good Cbus press for '07. Tags: columbus, reviews, travel, |
| I'm Not There: Film Review - Mon, 03 Dec 2007 17:14:02 GMT Contents: I knew even before the house lights went down that I needed to approach this film in the right frame of mind. I knew not to expect a rational or linear plotline, that my disbelief would need to be firmly suspended, and that I would have to forgo any spirit of antagonistic criticism. All that said, I found it a brilliant piece of work. Let me state, for the record, that I've never been the world's biggest Dylan fan. I respect him as a titanic figure in American music, and my personal favorites list contains a decent sampling of some of Dylan's hits ("Like a Rolling Stone", "Lay Lady Lay") and rarities ("One More Cup Of Coffee", "Million Dollar Band"), but I'm no Dylan cultist. My interest in the film came less from a love of Dylan and more from an interest in what the film would say about art and life. I think the best way to approach the film is with an understanding that none of the six Dylanesque main characters is meant to present a factual account of Dylan's life. Rather, each represents an extended meditation by the filmmaker on aspects of Dylan's history, mythology, and songwriting. More... Tags: music, bob dylan, reviews, movies, |
| Everything About Art Explained - Wed, 07 Nov 2007 06:33:23 GMT Contents: Everything About Art, Explained Tags: philosophy, art, |
| Good stuff in the news - Wed, 31 Oct 2007 05:38:36 GMT Contents: It's very rare that I read something that makes me feel positive these days, but this past week there were two wonderful articles in the New York Times Magazine that brightened my day. The first was about political changes among evangelical Christians --caused by the death or diminishment of prominent conservatives like Falwell, the disillusionment of many Christians with the Bush administration, the rise of the religious left and an increased concern with issues like poverty and the environment as opposed to abortion and gay marriage. While the slant of the article was about the "crackup" of the so-called Moral Majority, I read instead as a sign of a renewal, a recentering on values better aligned with what I perceive as "true" Christian morals. I also couldn't help noticing that it means my timing is just right for my forthcoming book "Hero For Christ". --- The second article was about a young Venezeulan conductor already viewed as one of the best in the world. But the most interesting thing is that he is the product of an innovative program where the Venezeulan government basically guarantees a education in classical music to ever interested child, regardless of income. It's the brainchild of a single person, and it's been wildly successful, especially now as the first graduates are coming into their prime. It's a shining example of social change through the arts. Tags: evangelical, gustavo dudemel, venezeula, liberal, music, conservative, el sistema, politics, christianity, |
| Across the Universe - Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:47:02 GMT Contents: Julie Taymor is one of my artistic heroes, and the Beatles are the Beatles, so I had high hopes going into this film. Of course, sometimes the best-seeming combinations can go horribly awry, so I also had a fair amount of trepidation. Let me start by saying that the film was gorgeous both visually and aurally. It had moments in it that were as exhilarating as anything that I've ever seen on film. So the quibbles I have with it are minor. However it's clearly not a film for everyone. You have to like musicals, be able to suspend disbelief, and yes, have a high tolerance for cheese. But the movie is a great ride for those with the ability to appreciate it. ... While the film started in a way that was worrisomely close to the beginning of "Moulin Rouge", this film improved on its predecessor in many ways, not the least of which was the absence of (Moulin Rouge director) Baz Luhrmann's hyperkinetic cuts. In addition, while both films are essentially long strings of music videos, Luhrmann's film could have been reduced to two scenes without much loss (the deeply powerful "Tango De Roxanne", and the hysterical "Like a Virgin"), while Taymor's film had a much deeper pool of worthwhile numbers to pull from. Nevertheless, certain scenes managed to stand out: the slow-motion chaos of "I Want To Hold Your Hand", the Ivy-League fraternity antics of "With a Little Help From My Friends", the heartbreaking beauty of "Let it Be", the visual intensity of "Strawberry Fields Forever", and most notably, the revelatory "I Want You/She's So Heavy". I also loved, loved, loved, Joe Cocker's triple performance during "Come Together" as a bum, a hippie and a pimp (welcoming Martin Luther McCoy's Hendrix-like "Jo-Jo" to town), and while I was a little disappointed musically with Bono's "I am the Walrus", I thought his Jim Jones/Timothy Leary parody was terrific. Furthermore, the psychedelic visuals of his magic bus were so vivid I felt like I was having a hallucinogenic experience simply watching it in the theater. [More...] Tags: the beatles, reviews, taymor, music, across the universe, reconstructivism, reconstructivist art, movies, julie taymor, |
| Logic in Action - Sat, 06 Oct 2007 05:32:22 GMT Contents: I managed to finally get a letter to the editor published --although only in the local student newspaper. I was a bit of an ass in the letter, but I felt the target deserved it --also have to admit I was showing off a bit for my students. A little background. About a month ago, a student writer at the post published a somewhat clumsy and heavy-handed satire that quite rightfully offended OU's Latino/Hispanic population. Following a firestorm of protests, another student wrote in to defend the original article. Unfortunately, the logic he used to do so was critically flawed. Since I teach logic, I felt compelled to respond with the following: My Letter The Letter I Was Responding To The Original Satirical Editorial Tags: social issues, logic, racism, race, latino, ohio university, |
| Fisherman Back in Print - Wed, 03 Oct 2007 03:17:33 GMT Contents: Aladdin Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, is issuing a new paperback edition of "How the Fisherman Tricked the Genie," a critically acclaimed picture book by author Christopher "Kitoba" Sunami and illustrator Amiko Hirao. "Fisherman" was named a Notable Book by the International Reading Association in 2003 and nominated for the Georgia Children's Book Award in 2006. It received starred reviews in Publisher's Weekly and School Library Journal, on its way to selling nearly 10,000 copies and going through 3 printings in hardback. Signed copies of the original hardback edition are available directly from the author. Email writer@kitoba.com for details. There's actually a kind-of funny story attached to this. "Fisherman" went out-of-print about a year ago and was remaindered. So I wrote to S&S and asked for my rights back, which is what you do when your book goes out of print. And I didn't hear from them for months and months, and then they finally wrote and told me we're back in print in paperback! Very exciting! Tags: children, ', s books, kitoba sunami, books, amiko hirao, |
| Poets of Kitoba.com - Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:35:05 GMT Contents: There is so much good poetry on my site right now, but it's all spread out, so I decided to do a post showcasing the poets of Kitoba.com and their poetry. First up are two luminous meditations by sluggy.net's own Ellie Hastings AKA inspiration: Next, a brutally moving war poem by Vietnam veteran John Gilmore: A searing indictment of society penned by Mitchell Chavis during an extended stay in solitary confinement: Rob Wallace's trenchant social commentary: An original translation of the world's most famous Swahili poem. Gil Pettigrew's environmental manifesto and my own favorite among my original poems Tags: poets, social commentary, original poems, inspiration, poems, swahili, immersive poetry, war, environment, poetry, immersive, |
| New Grow Game (Grow Island) - Fri, 21 Sep 2007 06:18:55 GMT Contents: The gentle genius known as "On" has gifted the world with another amazing "Grow" game. http://shingakunet.com/special/10054301/0285/index.html NOTE 1: There is a bug in the game that causes it to freeze on certain paths, but the correct ending bypasses the errors NOTE 2: There is a "secret" alternate ending that is utterly different from the regular one. For those of you who don't know "On" his games are found at http://eyezmaze.com , and are some of the most creative, entertaining and original puzzle games on the web. Tags: grow island, flash game, on, game, grow, |
| Mother Teresa's Dark Night of the Soul - Mon, 17 Sep 2007 18:32:37 GMT Contents: A recent article in Time Magazine ("Mother Teresa's Crisis of Faith") focused on private writings of Mother Teresa recently released by the church. Those writings detailed the internal struggles Mother Teresa felt as a result of ceasing to sense the presence of God in her life. ... The article notes that many religious figures and mystics have had similar experiences, to the point that the phenomena has a recognized name, the "Dark Night of the Soul". It also offers several contrasting opinions on that dark night's significance. These range from the claim of atheist journalist (and outspoken Mother Teresa critic) Christopher Hitchens that Mother Teresa simply realized she was living a lie, to the suggestion by her own spiritual advisor Reverend Joeseph Neuner that her sense of emptiness was itself a form of redemptive suffering. To me, however, it seems that there is a third way to view the situation. [More...] Tags: people, religion, christianity, mother teresa, |
| White Hat Charter Schools - Fri, 17 Aug 2007 18:28:15 GMT Contents: A few years ago, I headed a group of local activists looking to start a charter school. After forming a board and going through the complete application process, we were turned down by the state. That same year, over half of the applications approved statewide were all run by one for-profit company, White Hat --the same company cited for fraudulent practices in Wednesday's Columbus Dispatch: The whole thing exposes the real agenda of the charter schools movement --not to create better or more innovative education, but to privatize the public schools and funnel government funds into businesses. [More...] Tags: business, education, white hat, privatization, charter schools, |
| - Sat, 09 Jun 2007 02:32:02 GMT Contents: A new anti-war song I wrote. Sorry about the crappy singing... http://youtube.com/watch?v=jhN8ngg0GMc Tags: anti, protest, music, soldier, protest song, bush, war, iraq, antiwar, |
| Vinchen - guerilla artist - Thu, 10 May 2007 01:01:43 GMT Contents: Columbus art enigma Vinchen is my new hero: Vinchen.com  Apparently all his [her?] pieces are real --no photoshopping. |
| Kurt Vonnegut dies - Thu, 12 Apr 2007 20:18:26 GMT Contents: I was sorry today to hear of the death of Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut was a true friend to humanity. For myself as a religious humanist, I found Vonnegut to be one of the few people who seemed to actually live out the "humanism" that is supposed to underlie "Secular Humanism." He spent his time trying to make the world a better place for people to live, rather than in attacking religion. Rest in peace, Kurt. Back to the Kitopedia |
| - Thu, 05 Apr 2007 06:09:24 GMT Contents:
Read the Article This is a subject I'm passionate about. Suburbs are immoral parasites on the inner cities. The suburbanites work in the inner cities, but take their paychecks home to their plastic paradises. Plus, so many suburbs were created through "white flight" (i.e. racial prejudice and race-baiting). Meanwhile, we all pay the environmental and societal costs. Little Boxes, on the hillside... Tags: parasites, suburbs, little boxes, environment, sprawl, |
| American Idol as a Alternative to War - Mon, 02 Apr 2007 21:18:43 GMT Contents: Many people view the television show American Idol as a sign of the utter decline and decay of Western Civilization. I disagree. I view it as part of one of the most hopeful trends to come along in decades. The reason is this: Competition is part of the basic nature of humanity. In fact, it is an essential legacy of the evolutionary process. Species (and societies) that compete gain in strength and capacity, while those that do not atrophy. This is why people love to compete, and why everyone loves a winner (even a loser). However, there are both productive and destructive forms of competition. In productive competition, everyone wins. In destructive competition, on the other hand, even the seeming winner can in fact be a loser. We live in a materialistic era, and so we engage in one of the most destructive forms of competition known to mankind: war, the competitive attempt to physically dominate or destroy a rival society. Yet the competitive benefits of war are murky. Is anything established other than the principle that "might makes right," and the primacy of the most violent society with the greatest access to resources? On the other hand, there are other forms of competition without the same destructive fallout. One of these is competition in talent and in the arts. While it may seem to be trivial, this kind of competition was a cornerstone for the philosophy of Confucius, a philosophy that created peace between the citizens of the Chinese Empire for thousands of years. Recently, in America, there has been an explosion in the number of popular movies and television shows centered around the theme of talent competitions, including: American Idol (vocals) Dancing With the Stars (dance) So You Think You Can Dance (dance) and Drumline (drums) Bring It On (cheerleading) You Got Served (dance) Roll Bounce (roller skating) Rize (dance) Stomp the Yard (step dancing) To me, the embrace of such shows reflects the desire of young Americans to embrace a more productive form of competition than that promoted by their elders. And while American Idol is rightly criticized for its crass commercialism, it has nonetheless led to increasing national attention to issues of aesthetics. Back to Kitoba.com Tags: talent competition, confucius, american idol, competition, aesthetics, materialism, war, |
| Just War? - Mon, 02 Apr 2007 20:57:57 GMT Contents: As a hardcore pacifist, I've always had to confront the question, what would be my response to a just and necessary war, such as World War II. After much thought, I think the correct answer is that any war can be prevented, but it is necessary to start well enough in advance. The seeds of the next war are sown in the soil of the last. If the fallout of World War I had been handled differently, Hitler would never have come to power, and World War II could have been prevented. I think this observation also provides insight into the failures of the anti-war movement in preventing the current war in Iraq, which few observers would now judge as either just or necessary. The question to answer here is why, given that many of those in Congress during the leadup to the war were Baby Boomers who swore "never again" after Vietnam, was there no effective attempt to oppose the war, even by those who might have been in a position to do so. The answer may have been that it was by then too late to stop that particular war from taking place. Those in power had been too complicit for too long with the underlying attitudes of cultural and economic imperialism that were the real moral justification for the invasion. On a more positive note, however, it paints a way forward for those with an anti-war stance to make a real and substantive difference in the world of tomorrow. Instead of focusing solely on stopping the war we are faced with today, I think perhaps we should also turn our attention to preventing the apocalyptic "next" war prefigured in the geopolitics of today. We should commit ourselves to living the next fifteen or twenty years in a fashion that will make war both unthinkable and unnecessary. Otherwise, history tells us that today's "never again" will be tomorrow's sad regrets. Back to Kitoba.com Tags: just war, vietnam, world war ii, pacifism, war, iraq, peace, |
| Young Politics - Mon, 02 Apr 2007 20:42:12 GMT Contents: I was reading this blog entry by kirbyman, about his complaints on having a forced choice between the lesser of two evils between Candidate A and Candidate B, where one side favors one thing the blogger does, but also one thing the blogger is against, but and the other side is against both things. In other words, neither side lines up with the blogger on all the issues he finds important. While I myself have made similar complaints, a thought occurred to me: We're adults now. If we don't like the candidates, parties, positions and choices we're faced with, it falls squarely on our shoulders to find, support or form new parties and positions, and so forth. Along those lines, I saw the movie Amazing Grace recently, and while it had significant flaws, one thing that it impressed on me was the true story of how young the reformers featured in the film were when they began their careers. In particular, William Pitt (the younger) was only twenty-four when he became Prime Minister of Britain. And in fact, he and his friend William Wilberforce did in fact make sweeping and significant reforms in Britain, including the abolition of the British slave trade. So if we continue to allow ourselves to be defined by the errors of our elders, we really have no one but ourselves to blame. Back to Kitoba.com Tags: youth, politics, amazing grace, |
| Forgiveness - Wed, 07 Feb 2007 03:26:36 GMT Contents: I was reading this post today, where the poster admits to being unable to see the value of forgiveness, as opposed to the satisfaction of revenge. It's a good question, especially given the fact, as the poster points out, that we almost demand revenge for a satisfying conclusion in fiction. In real life however, I think there's one overriding good reason to forgive, which has everything to do with ourselves, and almost nothing to do with the person being forgiven. When we forgive, we protect ourselves against being infected with the hatred and destructive violence exhibited by the person being forgiven. Metaphorically, I see evil as having a life cycle similar to that of a virus. It starts when destructive urges and emotions build up inside someone until they burst free in an act of violence or harm. But when others respond in kind, it means they've fallen prey to the same disease of the soul. That's how conflicts like those in the Middle East can persist for generations. Every time a suicide bomber blows up a bus or a military force fires on unarmed civilians, it unleashes seeds of hate that fester inside someone until he or she becomes part of the next generation of terrorists or fascists. Back to Kitoba.com Tags: bombers, revenge, war, forgiveness, |
| Libertarian Capitalism - Thu, 01 Feb 2007 23:06:44 GMT Contents: Yes, I'm throwing down the gauntlet for my libertarian pals here on livejournal! There are many things I think the average libertarian and I would agree about. I too think the government is wasteful, bloated, oppressive, meddlesome and corrupt, and that we could theoretically do better without it. I would even go so far as to support someone who didn't pay their taxes out of the desire not to support an unjust war, or applaud anyone who turned down a free government handout (of any type) as a matter of principle. On the other hand, I fully support taxing the wealthy if for no other reason than to prevent extreme concentrations of wealth (and as a disincentive to the moral crimes that often lead to those extremes). I also support some form of universal health care, due to the fact that personal health is largely out of any individual's hands (perhaps with exemptions for those whose heath problems can be directly traced to voluntary personal choices such as smoking and skydiving!). I also find it incredibly naive to believe that free markets will not inevitably be abused as those with wealth and power take advantage of every opportunity to safeguard that wealth and power, including those opportunities that subvert the entire system. Ultimately, however, my biggest complaint with both libertarianism and free-market capitalism is less economic than it is moral: For example, it is undeniably true that the child-welfare system in this country has been often mismanaged, and in some cases has led to greater miseries than the ones it was intended to prevent. I still believe, however, that as a moral choice we as a society must make a commitment to all children regardless of income or family background. If a libertarian truly believes that such a commitment is better placed in the hands of private or religious organizations than with the government bureaucracy, then I think it is a moral imperative for him or her to actually put that private commitment into action prior to dismantling the governmental framework, rather than the other way around. Back to the Kitopedia Tags: morals, libertarianism, capitalism, |