Did Lara Logan Have It Coming?

You've probably heard by now that CBS reporter Lara Logan was raped and beaten for a half hour during the Egyptian victory celebration during the resignation of President Mubarak. Well maybe "beaten" is too strong a word. She's already been released from the hospital, so the beating couldn't have been too bad. And no details have been reported yet of the sexual assault. Was she actually raped or just groped a little and shoved around a bit? We just don’t know yet. Still, a little compassion is certainly in order. But how much?

Conservative commentator, Debbie Schlussel, wrote an article for her blog this week following Logan's incident titled: "Islam Fan Lara Logan Gets a Taste of Islam" in which she basically says that Logan had the sexual assault coming. She was of course quickly criticized for forging an attack of words against someone who had just been hospitalized after what may be a serious assault while showing no compassion to speak of.

I have to say, I've got mixed emotions about the whole ordeal myself. Logan has certainly ballyhooed the cause of Islam, and then got attacked by the very people whose victory she had just helped celebrate on TV. If the assault was brutal, then I certainly feel bad about that. But it's also hard not to ask, "What do you think of Islam now Ms. Logan?"

Some Terrific New Movies at Hulu

I sent this email to a freind just now and thought it might make a worthwhile post here as well:

You might want to take a gander at Hulu when you get a chance. When you get there, click on the tab labeled "What's New", and after you get to that page, choose "Feature Films" from the "Video Type" category tab. They put up over six new pages full of new listings overnight, and for a change, at least half of them are very good to excellent. For instance they've got four new listings from Ingmar Bergman: The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, The Virgin Spring, and The Magician. I've been dying to see that last one for years. They've also got Lord of the Flies, Obsession, M, Hobson's Choice, Jigoku (a Japanese horror film from 1960 which features a doppelganger and is supposed to be quite good for the genre), My Life as a Dog, The League of Gentlemen (the original 1960 version), The Spirit of the Beehive, The 400 Blows, La Strada, The Lower Depths (original 1936 version), Europa, The Rules of the Game (an old French film that's supposed to be one of the best movies ever made), Richard III, Ugetsu (a Japanese movie from the 50s which is supposed to be one of the greats, and another that I haven't seen), Wings of Desire, (you're probably familiar with this one, but if you haven't seen it, you really should—it's better than the American remake), Cronos (another of the few horror movies that's supposed to be good, but which I haven't seen it), Seven Samurai, Ratcatcher, Black Orpheus, Breathless (the 1960 French film that started new wave cinema), The Four Feathers, Walkabout, and Diabolique (yet another French film). There are also about a half dozen new listings for some of Charlie Chaplin's best movies.

CS Lewis: My Fellow Hater Of Politics

Whichever side of the political isle you're on nowadays, the nuts are running the institutions. This is something Lewis wrote about society and politics in Mere Christianity, and a better expression of my own feelings I could never hope to find.

That is the key to history. Terrific energy is expended—civilizations are built up—excellent institutions devised; but each time something goes wrong. Some fatal flaw always brings the selfish and cruel people to the top and it all slides back into misery and ruin. ... That is what Satan has done to humans. [N]othing but the courage and unselfishness of individuals is ever going to make any system work properly. It is easy enough to remove the particular kinds of graft or bullying that go on under the present system: but as long as men are twisters or bullies they will find some new way of carrying on the old game under the new system. You cannot make good men by law: and without good men you cannot have a good society. ~~CS Lewis

You Know You're Old When...

For you guys who are my age and suddenly find yourself wifeless (unless you were smart enough to have always been), at least you'll find the excuses women use not to go out with you are much better these days. Instead of, "I'm sorry, but I have to wash my hair tonight," it's, "Oh darn! That's the day I get my knee replaced."

Life is cruel I say! Someone just kill me already.

Paul McCartney - "Jenny Wren"

The stuff he's been writing the past five years or so just may be his best ever.

Japanese Country-Blues Busker in Australia

It's not every day you see a Japanese man singing country-blues in Australia. He's actaully pretty darn good too.

Astronomers Discover The Oldest Galaxy Yet

Some astronomers using the Hubble Telescope recently found a galaxy with the greatest redshift that's ever been recorded. Using the redshift pattern as a guide, they were able to determine that the age of this galaxy was born only 500 million years after the big bang. It's roughly 13.2 billion light-years away.

Imagine, driving a car that went 671 million miles per hour and driving it for 13.2 billion years. I ask you, might that not as well be forever? Some things are just unthinkable.