The New Monasticism

Wissahickon friend and contributor Shane Claiborne appears on the cover of the latest issue of Christianity Today. In the lead article, Shane, as well as other Eastern-alumni (Chris & Cassie Haw, Jonathan & Leah Wilson-Hartgrove), discusses what is being called "the New Monasticism."

The article reports on a "new crop of Christian intentional communities," and features the Simple Way, the Camden House, and the Rutba House.

It's difficult for me to fully summarize or comment upon the article, since all of its principles are intimately connected with my own recent life. But it demands to be read and commented upon. Give it a read, and let us know what you think, both about the article and its contents.

--Ted

Hyperbolic Revelry

I'm sure plenty of people have seen this coming if they've been following the Hurricane Katrina news closely. The Times-Picayune has released a story revealing that many journalists' reports on the chaos and devastation in New Orleans in general and the Superdome specifically were greatly exaggerated. Apparently reporters were not doing follow up investigation on the wild rumours they were being fed, and instead rushed to print the most sensational stories emerging from the mess.

In many ways this is wonderful news, being that not nearly as many people actually suffered violent atrocities and death as was so widely reported at first. On the other hand, it is disconcerting that professional journalists were so easily swept up in the hysteria; for all the sanctimonious blathering they have done about the race factor, perhaps their blind willingness to believe the worst of the predominantly black crowds in the Superdome is revealing? Just a thought.

--Josh

Update: Another story about the media's inflated claims. Also, it seemed that although his government crumbled in a heartbeat and many of his policeman abandoned their posts, Mayor Nagin could at least claim that he was on the ground and sticking it out with his people. But the reality is that he actually had no idea what was going on, as he perpetuated many of the wildest rumors on national television...what was he actually doing during this disaster besides giving hysterical interviews?

The Lesser George

For those of you who missed it, Christopher Hitchens and George Galloway, a British MP, staged a debate last week over the Iraq War. Galloway is passingly famous as the man who went into full school marm mode and scolded the U.S. Senate during hearings over the Iraq War. He is also the man who has openly praised Saddam Hussein, defended terrorists' tactics, and considers himself to be a friend of Syria's dictator, Bashar al-Assad. Naturally, he is a hero of the anti-war left.

The low point of the debate? When Hitchens asked for a moment of silence to commemorate the Iraqi victims of the latest terrorist attack that had occurred earlier that day; he was promptly jeered and shouted down by the Galloway partisans in the crowd. As the article says, "America, meet your 'antiwar' activists."

--Josh

The August Wissahickon

The August Wissahickon - POETRY SPECIAL

Features the work of:

Foster Dickson
Ortisegbemi Jakpa
Aryan Kaganof
Ashok Niyogi
Lynn Strongin
Elizabeth Switaj
and AE Woods

Visit today!

There's No Other Reaction: I Simply Must Pity the Fool

A must see: Mr. T's Rap Video

Yes, Mr. T actually put out a video in 1984, and it's just as bad as you would expect it to be. I know it's hard, but try to stay with it until the end, and watch for the unsuspecting mother who receives a box of Whitman candies from her son.

--Ted

Heat Check

In an egregious act of overstatement not seen since the Al Gore days, Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri of Iran has warned that 'If the U.S. attacks Iran, each of America's states will face a crisis the size of Katrina. The smallest mistake by America in this regard will result in every single state in that country turning into a disaster zone.'

Jazayeri then goes on to explain that the U.S. could never endure a military confrontation with Iran, especially since the Iranian army has gained so much experience from their 1980-1988 war with Iraq. Um, the war that cost an estimated 1.5 million Iranian lives, $350 billion in damages, while the borders of both countries remained unchanged? One wonders if Jazayeri is even cognizant of the fact that the U.S. army dismantled in the space of a few months (twice) the same Iraqi army that fought Iran to a stalemate over the course of eight brutal years. It is no wonder Iran is so desperately trying to build the bomb when they have officers with such a tenuous grasp on military realities like Jazayeri in charge of their conventional forces.

--Josh

Texas nearing refugee capacity, governor says

Some quick facts...

About Texas:

- Texas is the 2nd largest state in the United States.
- Texas is larger than Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Tennessee COMBINED.
- Texas's Gross State Product is around $880 billion USD, the third largest in the United States.
- Texas's Gross State Product is greater than Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Tennessee's COMBINED GSP.

About Hurricane Katrina:

- Over 220,000 storm refugees have fled to Texas, totaling less than 1% of Texas's population.
- Katrina's damage estimates vary greatly, some are as low as $9 billion USD, others as high as $100 billion USD. The average, $30 billion USD, is about 3% of Texas's annual state income.