escapingbabylon.com

So The Last Airbender comes out this summer. Here’s a good summary of my thoughts on the upcoming movie.

The Blog of Gene Luen Yang – The Last Airbender Movie.

Eugene Cho had a post about the Arizona law asking for comments. I’ve been thinking about the law and haven’t yet been able to put into words how it makes me feel. Here’s the comment that I posted that comes closest to my personal reaction to the law

As a foreign national who has been in this country for years, the Arizona law feels like the most unwelcoming thing I’ve experienced thus far.

Between the fingerprinting and the ever-changing immigration laws and the punditry, since september 12, 2001 there’s been a fair amount of things that has made me feel uncomfortable. Somehow this feels different. This feels like the closest thing to “You are second class and so you should know your place,” that I’ve felt.

Even assuming that there will be no racial profiling, or that they will not mistakenly arrest American citizens. It means that if I’m ever in Arizona, as a foreign national, I pretty much have to justify my right to be in this country whenever I interact with the law. Which says to me that I’m not wanted here, and it would really be more pleasant for everyone if I left.

At some point I might get into the social, theological, justice-oriented response. But right now this is my emotional response.

Culture Making has been one of the best books I’ve read in the past year. It takes a look at cultural goods in society, theology in terms of culture and makes the assertion that the best way, and in some ways the only way, to change culture is to create more, better culture. In the video below, Andy Crouch, the author, responds to the question “How can we devote time/energy/resources to creating art and culture, when there are so many who, because of poverty, are stripped of  the power to be culture makers?”

Check it out.

via: Culture Making and Poverty (Best Question #2) | Culture Making.

Best Question 2 – Culture Making and Poverty from Culture Making on Vimeo.

The LXD: In the Internet age, dance evolves … | Video on TED.com.