Tag Archives: books

“Urge to Kill Rising…”

I’m thinking of adding some books to my reading list.

God Help Me! These People Are Driving Me Nuts by Gregory Popcak
Coping with Difficult People by Robert M. Bramson
Since Strangling Isn’t an Option…: Dealing With Difficult People by Sandra A. Crowe
201 Ways to Deal With Difficult People by Alan Axelrod and James Holtje
Don’t Let Jerks Get The Best Of You: Advice For Dealing With Difficult People by Paul Meier
Who’s Pushing Your Buttons?: Handling the Difficult People in Your Life by John Townsend
Thank You for Being Such a Pain : Spiritual Guidance for Dealing with Difficult People by Mark Rosen

No Accounting For Taste

Rand, of A Pattern of Sound Works, has posted a scathing criticism of C.S. Lewis,
one of my favorite authors and someone partially responsible for my return to faith. NOTA BENE: The following fisk is not personal. Rand comments a lot at Christian Conservative and seems to be a nice guy. From what I’ve seen, he comments intelligently and politely. He’s just kinda off his nut about Lewis. 😉

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Frankenstein’s Intellectual Progeny

A Consumer's Guide to A Brave New World

A CONSUMER’S GUIDE TO A BRAVE NEW WORLD
By Wesley J. Smith

"Will the cost of biotechnology’s alleviation of human suffering be our acceptance of a ‘Brave New World,’ where scientists wield godlike power to refashion our biological nature’ If so, we will not get there in one giant leap. Rather, we will descend into the darkness in small steps, all but unaware that the shadows are lengthening."

Welcome to Our Brave New World: An Interview with Wesley J. Smith
By John Zmirak

"Wesley Smith has exposed corporate corruption with Ralph Nader, and warned against the eugenic implications of the ‘right to die’ movement. In his new book, ‘A Consumer’s Guide to a Brave New World,’ he tells how the Biotech industry’s push for stem cell research and human cloning threatens the rights of the poor, the sick, and the unborn."

Faithful Atheist

 I don't often listen to Bible Answerman, but it comes on after The Marty Minto Show, so I sometimes leave it on for a while. Today the host, Hank Hanegraaff, had an interesting guest with him. Actually, he wasn't particularly interesting and I didn't listen to much of the show, but he wrote a book that I thought might stir up some conversation here. The guest, Frank Turek, and Norman Geisler wrote I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. Here's the description:

"All worldviews, including atheism, require faith. I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist argues that Christianity requires the least faith of all because it is the most reasonable. The authors lay out the evidence for truth, God, and the Bible in logical order and in a readable, non-technical, engaging style. A valuable aid to those interested in examining the reasonableness of the Christian faith, Geisler and Turek provide a firm challenge to the previous beliefs of doubters of all sorts."

I should note that I haven't read this book, nor do I know its contents. I don't know if I would like it or agree with the authors' points. That said, I invite my readers, particularly my resident atheist gadflies, to comment. Let the games begin. 😉

The Grand Wizard of Earthsea

I love the Earthsea series of books. I’ve read the original trilogy and the follow-up,
Tehanu. I hope to pick up the new stories some day soon. I was really looking forward
to watching the Sci-Fi Channel’s screen adaptation of the first two books of the
trilogy, but now I’m less enthused.

A Whitewashed Earthsea
How the Sci Fi Channel wrecked my books.
By Ursula K. Le Guin

On Tuesday night, the Sci Fi Channel aired its final installment of Legend of Earthsea, the miniseries based – loosely, as it turns out – on my Earthsea books. The books, A Wizard of Earthsea and The Tombs of Atuan, which were published more than 30 years ago, are about two young people finding out what their power, their freedom, and their responsibilities are. I don’t know what the film is about. It’s full of scenes from the story, arranged differently, in an entirely different plot, so that they make no sense. My protagonist is Ged, a boy with red-brown skin. In the film, he’s a petulant white kid. Readers who’ve been wondering why I “let them change the story” may find some answers here.