9/11 Report

I made it through, yes I read the 9/11 commission report. I have to say I not nearly as bored out of my mind as I thought I would be. The book for the most part was very well written and very informative. It is a book that most of us should become familiar with before voting next year. I few things I will remember from the book. The inability of the government to communicate was very problematic and adding more layers of bureaucracy and is not going to help. America's foreign policy of intervention does have unintended consistences. Most importantly Americans by and large are very heroic and we must honor and remember the people who gave their lives to save others that day. Please remember to be in prayer for our nations' leaders and they have very hard choices to make in the next few months.

Goodnight Moon

Goodnight Moon is a book I remember being read to me as a kid. I'm sure it one of the most popular kids books ever. Here is a video of myself reading Goodnight Moon to Lily.

Why a Daughter Needs a Dad

Simple touching book with a 100 reasons why a daughter needs a dad. Good book for all future fathers.

Amazing Grace Movie

Danielle and I saw The Amazing Grace movie. This is the first movie we saw on opening night. The theater was nearly packed. There were a lot of Asbury students there since Asbury College does have a significant involvement with the move. I was not disappointed at all with the movie. It captured perfectly to story of William Wilberforce's campaign to end the slave trade in the United Kingdom. If you have not already seen this movie it is worth seeing. Please support these kinds of movies the feature Christians and Christan morals.

Book Review: End of the Spear by Steve Saint

This was one of the best books I have read in a long time. I highly recommend reading this book. Steve Saint tell the miraculously story his relationships with the Waodani people in the rain forest of Ecuador.

Book Description (from Book Cover)
Steve Saint was five years old when his father, missionary pilot Nate Saint, was speared to death by a primitive Ecuadorian tribe. In adulthood, Steve, having left Ecuador for a successful business career in the United States, never imagined making the jungle his home again. But when that same tribe asks him to help them, Steve, his wife, and their teenage children move back to the jungle. There, Steve learns long-buried secrets about his father's murder, confronts difficult choices, and finds himself caught between two worlds. Soon to be a major motion picture (January 2006), End of the Spear brilliantly chronicles the continuing story that first captured the world's attention in the bestselling book, Through Gates of Splendor.

The Gospel According to Peanuts

The Gospel According to Peanuts
One of the guys at work found this book at the library overstock sale. It was a fun read while on vacation. The book was not written by the Peanuts author Schultz but by Robert Short. Each page has a commit and some type of theological link with scripture verses to the comic. While at times the theological explanation was wordy and obscure, it was clear that there was at time a spiritual message behind the comics. I did enjoy the book mostly for the comics. It is refreshing to know that in certain popular culture spiritual truth can be found.

Chapters include:

The wages of sin is Aaaaaugh!
Good Grief
The Hound of Heaven

Book Review: The world Is Flat a Brief History of the 21st Century

Book: The World Is Flat a Brief History of the 21st Century
Authors: Thomas L. Friedman
ISBN: 0-374-29288-4

This book was recommended to the staff at Asbury College by our president. I enjoy economics and technology and thought this book would be a good read. It was interesting to read impressions of people in older generations on how the world in getting smaller and more connected. He list 10 causes that *flattened the world* (made the world more connected and smaller) Including in his list was open source software. This of course in of interest to me. It is always interesting to read how non-computer geeks are in total amazement that 75% of the world web servers are run on software that *people just give away*. I would recommend reading this book. He has good points about free trade and the the effects of 9/11 and 11/9.

Amazing Race 10

The Amazing Race started up again yesterday. It is my favorite *reality* show, for some reason I can't stand the other reality shows. I guess I love the travel, different cultures and the reactions of the teams as they struggle through the challenges. I was really disappointed to see Bilal & Sa'eed and Vipul & Arti eliminated. It would be nice found once for the Cheer leader types to get the ax first. I'll miss what the Arab and Indian cultures would have brought to the dynamics of the show.

Lost Season 1 review

Ok this is not a *book* review, but it is a TV show review. Our good friends Dave and Ginny let of borrow season one of lost. I have to say the show is very additive. We watched 6 episodes in one night. (I has a bad cold and was exhausted) It was really nice not to have the see all the commercials. I think it is worth waiting until it's out on dvd. I waist so much of my time watching commercials. I did enjoyed the development of the characters, but I enjoyed the events that effect their stay on the island more. So at times to me the show was slow on developing. I am eager to watch season 2 on dvd. I love the mystery of it all. But I do hope there is a resolution at some point.

Book Review: Libertarianism for and against

One of my New Year's resolutions was to read more. I have been some what successful this year. As I read books I hope to post a short review on the book.

Book: Libertarianism for and against
Authors: Creg Duncan & Tibor R Machan
ISBN: 0-7425-4259-9

This book is by no means exceptional. It does provide arguments from two view points from two authors from each view point. Which is somewhat refreshing compared to most political/economic books. However, I felt that too much of the point was tied up with arguing each other with both sides making faulty arguments. Neither side spent enough time proving their side. The book lacked real examples and often jump to conclusions especially from the "against side". Unless you are very interested in political philosophy you are better off to read a different book. Hopefully in some of my next post I'll talk about my personal views on Libertarianism.