Angelina Jolie, Bono, George Clooney. They all have their causes. There is no doubt that celebrities have the ability to raise the profile of issues near and dear to their hearts. Highlighting a problem is not the same thing as solving it, however—and the celebrity track record at affecting policy outcomes could best be characterized as mixed.
Author Philip Pullman says that people who are tempted to take offence should first see the film or read the books. “They’ll find a story that attacks such things as cruelty, oppression, intolerance, unkindness, narrow-mindedness, and celebrates love, kindness, open-mindedness, tolerance, curiosity, human intelligence. It’s very hard to disagree with those. But people will.”
The Slate staff has chosen its least favorite Christmas movies of all time. The list includes Fred Claus, Jim Carrey’s The Grinch, Jingle All the Way and holiday slasher fare like Jack Frost. Have a look, then nominate your own candidates in the comments section.
A new report indicates that a surprising number of college students are seeking spiritual answers to the questions in their lives. The key results according to an article in USA Today are that students are increasingly looking for ways that help them discover their own beliefs, help them to become more caring to others and “develop an ecumenical worldview”.
Beliefnet’s “Top Ten” feature this week spotlights some spiritual lessons that the Golden Compass offers, a nice moment of peace in all the furor over whether the film is “anti-Christian” or not.
The advert, depicting a nativity scene, showed four wise men – rather than the more usual three – visiting Mary and Baby Jesus in their Bethlehem manger. As well as the traditional gold, frankincense and myrrh brought as gifts, the fourth Magus offers the young Messiah a can of Red Bull.
The Catholic League is calling for a boycott of the film The Golden Compass, based on the first book in Phillip Pullman’s brilliant “His Dark Materials” trilogy, and Mark Mordford of the San Francisco Chronicle thinks he knows why.
There is now an entire website devoted to the question, “Is it Christmas?” Check out the answer here. In a similar vein, click here to
Panelists discuss the tragic lack of media access in Darfur and how we can help Darfurians realize how much we’re helping them.
Philip Pullman’s Dark Materials, has had a troubled transition to the screen. The adaptation has managed to upset both Christians and atheists, the former because of the book’s anti-religious themes and the latter because those very themes have been watered down and virtually excised from the film, writes John Hiscock of the Telegraph.